Angel Corrupted
by Liona Skycat
Summary: In an effort to seal away the shadow games the mortals had unleashed the Council of Angels sacrificed an innocent and in doing so created an unstoppable dark being. That being is known as Yami. YxY. NO LONGER UPDATING
1. Prologue

Angel Corrupted

****

Disclaimer: Me no ownies. Plot ith mine. I think…O_o

A/N: Okee…stuffs. AU by far, possible OOC-ness (they did grow up differently, eh?), bloody stuffs…shounen-ai! Yami/Yugi for sure, maybe others and if so likely Bakura/Ryou and Seto/Joey. Will be using American names, as that's the version I get!

Prologue:

"These 'shadow games' the mortals play are getting out of control," one of the angels in the council spoke. "If we do not intervene they could become a threat even to us!"

            A different angel scoffed. "A threat? How could anything mortals wield be a threat to us? We are above their chaotic world!"

            "Have you not been watching?" the first council member snapped, "The humans are calling upon powers far beyond their own. Strange, dark powers that they have not the skill to control. If these powers grow out of control, they _will _be able to harm us. They must be stopped."

            Many of the other angels in the council nodded their agreement, and all heads turned to the Lead Councilor. Said angel leaned forward and spread his grand wings. "I agree that the shadow games and the powers that come with them must be dealt with… sealed away even."

            "But how sir?"

            The Lead Councilor smirked. "I know just the right ritual for the job."

            A young angel sat on the ground, playing with a sphere of light. The brilliance of the sphere was far outdone by the brightness of the boy's pure white wings and his sparkling violet eyes. Wild black haired fanned out in all directions, rimmed with red, and golden bangs framed a cherubic face.

            "Hikari," a soft voice spoke, and the boy glanced upwards at the sound of his name. A beautiful woman smiled down at him, her own golden hair cascading around her face. His mother.

            "Yes mummy?" the angelic child questioned.

            "Your father and I have a surprise for you," the boy's mother answered, "It is your eleventh birthday after all."

            A dazzling smile split Hikari's face, also putting the light-sphere to shame. "What is it mummy?"

            The older angel chuckled. "It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you, so you'll just have to come with me and see for yourself."

            As Hikari stood, a knock sounded from the door, and the boy pouted as his mother was distracted into answering it. He wanted to see his surprise…

            "Can I help you?" the woman asked the two men who were standing outside her doorway. By the looks of them they were warriors, but what would warriors want with her or her family?

            "We're here for your son," one of the warriors stated. "We are to bring him to the council."

            "My son?" Hikari's mother replied, stunned. "Why does the council wish to see my son?"

            "That isn't our business," the second warrior said. "We just follow orders, and our orders are to bring your son to the council."

            Frowning slightly, the female angel turned to her son. "Hikari, your surprise will have to wait, right now we have to go with these men."

            "But I don't want to go, mummy." The boy whined. "I want my surprise."

            "You will get it later. Right now we are going to see the council." The woman took her son's hand and led him towards the warriors.

            "I'm sorry ma'am, but we can't allow you to come with us," the first warrior spoke again.

            Her eyes narrowed. "And why not? I refuse to let my son go to the council by himself. He is not leaving this house without me!"

            The first warrior shook his head. "I'm sorry ma'am. Just following orders." And with that his partner brought the hilt of his sword down upon the woman's head, and she crumpled to the floor, unconscious.

            Hikari's eyes widened and he shrieked. "Mummy!"

            A gloved hand clasped over his mouth, and the small boy was dragged away by the warriors.

            The Lead Councilor looked up from the book he was studying as two warriors barged into the circular council chamber. Clutched in the arms of the taller angel was a young boy, struggling wildly.

            The councilman walked up to the wriggling child and studied him thoughtfully. He had never seen wings so pure, and such eyes… the boy was utterly clean of all darkness. "He will do perfectly."

            Turning sharply, the Lead angel pointed to a smooth black stone that jutted from the floor in the middle of the room. White metal coils dangled from the slab of rock. "Chain him to the pedestal."

            A council member walked up to him. "You are certain this will work, sir?"

            "Of course it will work!" the Lead Councilor snapped. "You would question your leader?"

            "No, sir." The angel said, bowing his head. "But I have qualms against sacrificing such innocence, if the ritual may not even work."

            "Have no fears, my friend. The ritual _will _work," the leader comforted. "It is quite simple really. We use the pureness of the boy to attract the shadow powers, then through him we bind them to an object."

            "A puzzle," the council member stated.

            "Yes, so when the ritual is completed the puzzle can be disassembled and the pieces spread to all corners of the mortal realm."

            "Sealing the shadow powers and the monsters it brings away forever…" slight awe filled the voice of the angel. "I am sorry for doubting you, my leader."

            "You are forgiven. But now is time for the ritual." As the other councilors went about lighting candles and incense, the Lead angel walked to his table and plucked from it what appeared to be an upside-down pyramid. The golden puzzle was decorated with hieroglyphics and hung from a silver chain, the eye of Horus present on one side.

            The councilors formed a circle around the pedestal to which Hikari was chained, and began chanting in strange language, long dead. The young angel whimpered around a gag that had been placed in his mouth, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

            Taking slow steps, the Lead Councilor glided up to the boy and carefully placed the puzzle around the child's neck. As the chanting grew steadily louder, Hikari began to struggle once again, but his movements had little effect against the metal coiled around his wrists and ankles.

            The Lead angel reached within his robes and retrieved a dagger barely larger than his hand. The hilt was made of black metal with a band of silver around the middle and the back edge of the tip was barbed. Hikari struggled harder.

            As the chanting reached its peak, the head councilor sank the dagger into the boy's chest and a muffled scream erupted from behind the gag. A source-less wind whipped through the room knocking over chairs and councilors. Suddenly, a pillar of darkness plunged out of thin air and into the wound on Hikari's torso.

            Clothes exploded away from the child's body, and divested of a gag his screams echoed across the chamber. The councilors watched, stunned as dark energy crackled around the puzzle and purest black bled across the boy's white wings.

            The wind slowly settled down, Hikari's shrieks dieing out and the shadow energy fading away. Once brilliant wings drooped, now stained black. Where once was a wound, only a thin scar graced the young angel's chest.

            Shaking slightly, the Lead Councilor stood. "Well…there now. The ritual is completed, and the shadow powers bound to the puzzle. As soon as it is disposed of, we can rest easy."

            As he reached for the puzzle, the boy's eyes shot open. The Lead angel stepped back with a shriek. Eyes that had once sparkled violet were now a glowing crimson, and glimmered with malice and darkness.

            "H-how can you be alive?" the old angel stuttered. "The ritual said the sacrifice would die!"

            "Oh, but I _am_ dead." A cruel voice emanated from the child's lips. "Hikari is gone."

            "But you are Hikari!"

            The transformed boy tut-tutted, "No, Hikari is very much dead. You may call me…Yami."

            With a single jerk of his limbs, the dark angel shattered his bonds. And then all hell broke loose in heaven.


	2. Chapter One

Angel Corrupted

****

Disclaimer: Now, for a change of pace, I'll have No One, my gay, angsty teen bishounen shall read the disclaimer!

No One: She doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh. She owns the psychiatrist dude and me. Thank you, goodbye. *runs off to snog his 300-year-old demon-like boyfriend* 

A/N: Stuffs again… AU, possible OOC-ness (they did grow up differently, eh?), bloody stuffs, mild swearing…shounen-ai! Yami/Yugi for sure, maybe others and if so likely Bakura/Ryou and Seto/Joey. Will be using American names, as that's the version I get!

Thankies very much to my wonderific reviewers E, Diamond, Synchronized Love and AuroraDragonKaya. I answers to questions… I'm not sure if Yugi would be a reincarnation of Hikari, or maybe just re-manifestation of the purity/innocence/whatever that was lost, but I WILL figure it out eventually! And either way Yugi is a human.

Thankies to someone for pointing out a flaw that _was_ in this chapter.

Chapter One:

            He sits, high upon a building, hidden within the shadows cast by the moon. Mild interest reflects in crimson orbs as they watch a gang fight going on below. He was judging their skills, hoping they'd be able to put up at least a _little _fight as he killed them. It was _much_ more amusing that way.

            Yami smirked darkly, he hadn't had a challenge since the last angel warrior had tracked him down. It had been great fun, it wasn't as if the fool would be able to kill him. That thought turned the smirk down slightly. After all these millennia he felt that the angels had finally discovered the secret to his immortality, and it could cause problems…

            He was bound to the Puzzle along with the shadow powers, his soul merged with the darkness and resting within the confines of the golden pyramid. As long as the Puzzle survived Yami could not die. But now that the Council of Angels knew, they would be seeking to destroy it and not him.

            Eye twitching slightly, the dark angel growled. How dare they try and ruin his fun? He'd been doing the same thing for thousands of years, and no real harm had come of it. So he had been murdering people since his creation back when the Pharaohs still ruled, it wasn't as if most of them were innocents. Innocent people didn't tend to put up much of a fight.

            Speaking of fighting… ruby eyes again focused on the brawl occurring in the alley below. The side with the black bandanas appeared to have won, finishing off the remnants of the skull-tattooed fighters. The devious smirk reappeared.

            It was time.

            Sorota, leader of the Fallen Angels smirked as his men finished off the last of the Black Skulls. That would teach the pathetic idiots to invade on _his_ territory, they _would_ learn respect for the unbeatable Angels.

            "Nice night for a stroll."

            The gang snapped into a fighting stance at the sound of the smooth, dark voice. Glancing around, Sorota pinpointed it to a stranger standing in the shadows. Darkness shrouded most of the figure, only showing glimpses of red and gold hair and glints of silver.

            "Who the hell are you?" the gang leader snapped.

            The dark stranger stepped further into the meager moonlight, revealing a somewhat short and lithe form. Shadows still clung to the young man's face, hiding his eyes from view. Large, steel-tipped boots laced up to mid calf ending with a large silver buckle, long, muscular thighs were encased in black leather that seemed almost painted on, two belts looped around a thin waist. Hard, tanned abs were revealed, framed by a black leather jacket over a small matching tank top. A loop of gold glinted from the figure's belly button, and silver shone from studded leather wristbands and the large buckle on a neck belt. Resting against the stranger's chest was a gold pyramid that seemed to have been turned upside-down. It was impossible to pinpoint the figure's age, he could have been aged anywhere from sixteen to twenty.

            "It's also a nice night for a slaughter."

            Sorota snorted. "Hey freak, the Skulls may be pushovers, but that fight was no slaughter. Now beat it, unless you wanna join them.

            The stranger smirked. "Who said I was taking about the Black Skulls?"

            Yami eyes snapped open, and glowing red appeared in the darkness. In a whirlwind of leather and feathers the tainted angel rushed forward, revealing the wings he had concealed.

            The gang didn't stand a chance. They couldn't even touch the dark blur with the weapons they held, the blades and guns that had been their only advantage. Blood splattered as pointed nails and teeth found flesh, tearing through clothing like butter.

            And in less than ten minutes it was over, and eleven more bodies had joined the cooling corpses on the pavement. Surveying his work, Yami then bent down, fetching a small dagger from his boot. The blade was more a tool than a weapon, having been designed for, and used, in rituals. It amused the anti-angel to no end that the last ritual it had been used in was the one that created him.

            Stepping through the gore, Yami made his way to the corpse of Sorota, leaning down, and with practiced ease carved his calling sign into the forehead of the ex-gang leader. A modified Eye of Horus.

            It was this mark that had forced investigators to connect the global murders he had been causing for millennia, instead of just thinking them random murders. Of course they still hadn't a clue what was really behind the killings, they thought it was a cult. A cult!

            Chuckling to himself, Yami made his way back to the rooftops. Having sated his desire for blood, the dark angel resigned himself to another night of wandering around searching for something to amuse him.

            Yugi stared at the clock worriedly. Forty minutes until Daddy came home. He still had forty minutes, no need to rush.

            The seven-year-old boy was making spaghetti, it was one the few things he could cook. But that didn't stop him from doing it, he had to, or Daddy would get mad. 

Staring at the water, he willed it to boil faster. His Mommy had cooked good meals, and Yugi missed the variety of foods she would prepare. He missed his Mommy too. She had left Daddy more than a year ago, and she had left him behind. Why couldn't she have taken him with her?

The child sniffled, and forced himself not to cry. If Daddy found him crying he'd probably get mad like last time. Daddy got mad a lot, and when Daddy was mad he broke things. It didn't matter if those things were chairs, glasses or Yugi.

The water started to bubble and the boy sighed in relief. Grabbing a stool he pushed it over to the counter and reached for the box of dry spaghetti. He tensed slightly as the sound of a car reached his ears, and glanced at the clock again.

It couldn't be Daddy, it couldn't. Daddy didn't come home for another thirty minutes or so. Trying to stay calm, Yugi grabbed the spaghetti and was about to climb off the stool.

Then the door slammed open.

It had been the pure innocence radiating from the boy that had attracted him. He had been running silently from rooftop to rooftop when his sixth sense had detected such light, as he had not felt for countless centuries.

Slowing his pace, Yami had crept over the roof of the shabby duplex, and dropped down the wall so he was situated above one of the first floor windows. Peering upside-down through the glass he was startled by the sight that met his eyes.

A small boy who looked no more than six or seven was straining across a countertop to reach what appeared to be a box of spaghetti. Of course, it wasn't the scene that had stunned him, but the boy. The child looked astonishingly like himself.

After closer study, the dark angel concluded that the only real similarity was the shock of multicolored hair decorating the boy's head. The child was too young to draw further parallels, except maybe with eyes, but the innocent violet orbs the boy possessed were far different from his own.

Yet the boy continued to remind him of someone he had known long ago… someone he had forgotten… someone he had seen once… in… a mirror? Yami shook the thoughts out of his head. They were too confusing to bother with while he was studying the source of such pureness.

He didn't usually bother with innocents, as most weren't very entertaining. Too weak to attack, too pure to be seduced… Not to mention that he found it… distasteful to taint someone yet pure, and occasionally stepped in to prevent rapes and murders. Perhaps something deep inside him was trying to make up for a great innocence lost long ago…

Yami was jarred out of his thoughts by a car pulling up to the house, and he quickly moved into the shadows until the man, obviously drunk, had moved inside. He then returned to his post to watch.

Gasping in surprise, Yugi lost his balance and tumbled off the stool, spaghetti spilling everywhere. Amethyst eyes widened in horror, and breaths quickened until he was almost hyperventilating. Daddy was standing in the door.

But…his daddy couldn't be home! He wasn't supposed to be home for another half an hour, and supper wasn't ready yet and… The breath caught in the boy's throat as he saw the look on his daddy's face.

Oh no. Oh no, oh no. Yugi had only seen that look once before, the night previous to his mother's leaving. That night Daddy had hurt her really bad, hurt her in that _other_ way that had left mommy broken and naked on the floor. Daddy couldn't do that to him, he _couldn't_!

"You little shit," hissed Korianu Mutou, "I come home after a hard day's work, and find that not only is supper _not ready_ but you've made a freaking mess of the place too! Ungrateful brat, I should kill you!"

As the man lurched forward, Yugi let out a piercing shriek and made a break for the living room. He had made it to the middle of the room before he was tackled by the much heavier weight of his daddy. The man slapped his crying son across the face pinning the child to the ground.

Yugi started screaming louder, as he heard his clothes begin to rip beneath the force of his father's hands.

Yami was seething. How dare he! How dare he plan to taint the child's innocence! By Ra, the boy was his _son_! His actions were inexcusable in any scenario, but _this_ made it a hell of a lot worse. There was no way the dark angel would stand by and watch this atrocity happen! The man would die.

"Shut up, boy!" Korianu snarled, smacking his son's face again. This only caused Yugi to increase his volume.

All other sounds were temporarily drowned out as the living room window imploded. Dropping the boy Korianu whirled around to find the source of the disturbance. Spotting it, the abusive man fell back in horror.

Yugi, on the other hand, had taken advantage of his father's surprise and scurried behind the couch. After securing his hiding spot the boy peeked from behind the couch and was overcome with frightened awe.

Standing over a bed of glass shards was Yami, in all his leather-bound glory. Large black wings arched majestically over his head and his ruby eyes simmered dangerously. An aura of dark power seemed to emanate from the dark angel, making him more menacing than he already was.

            Moving with inhuman speed the dark beauty reached out one hand and clasped it around the elder Mutou's neck. Using strength far beyond his small form, he lifted the man into the air.

            Baring fangs, Yami hissed through his clenched teeth, "I am going to rip apart your very _soul_."

            Giving Korianu no time to speak, the dark being snapped his head forward and using his teeth tore the man's throat from his body.

            Wide violet eyes, watched in stunned fascination as the beautiful but deadly creature rid him, very thoroughly, of his tormentor. For some reason Yugi couldn't bring himself to truly fear this dark being, feeling almost as if this were his guardian angel, coming to save him.

            Yami had unsheathed his dagger, lowering the point to torn flesh and adding his mark to the corpse - what was left of it anyway. Having finished his job of meticulously ensuring Korianu Mutou would never walk this world again, the corrupted angel wiped bloodstained hands on equally bloodstained pants.

            Turning towards the couch, crimson eyes met with wide violet ones. For long moments the two could not break their gaze, and something resting deep within the dark man stirred. He felt as if he could… trust this boy, this strangely pure child. And with that feeling, the once angel made a decision.

            Walking to the boy, Yami gently pulled him from his hiding place. Yugi squeaked slightly and gazed nervously up at the creature that vaguely resembled him. The dark angel smirked at the lack of true fear coming from the child.

            Kneeling in front of the seven-year-old, he pulled the Puzzle from his neck, and hung the golden ornament around Yugi's.

            "Keep it safe," he uttered quietly, then placed a bloody kiss upon the young boy's forehead. Then, without a sound he was gone.

            And little Yugi stood silent, clutching the Puzzle with his small hands and stared out the window through with his savior had left. And he'd continue to stand silent as blood soaked into his socks and pants, as the police cars arrived sirens blazing. And he'd continue to be silent, hugging his Puzzle close as the ambulance took him away, and the police tried questioning him, and the social workers tried to help him, and the psychiatrists tried to counsel him. And he'd remain silent for along time.

            The boy known as Yugi Mutou would not speak a word for two years after the night his father died.


	3. Chapter Two

Angel Corrupted

****

Disclaimer: Now, for a change of pace, I'll have No One, my gay, angsty teen bishounen shall read the disclaimer!

No One: She doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh. She owns the psychiatrist dude and me. Thank you, goodbye. *runs off to snog his 300-year-old demon-like boyfriend* 

A/N: Stuffs s'more! AU, possible OOC-ness (they did grow up differently, eh?), bloody stuffs, mild swearing…shounen-ai! Yami/Yugi, slight Bakura/Ryou and possible Seto/Joey. Will be using American names, as that's the version I get!

There is a high unlikely-ness that there will be lemons in this fic, unless I can sucker one of my friends, Sazza (the yaoi pimp!) and Kitsune Kitana into it. Said peoples are also my beta readers and should be thanked. 

I know nothing of real psychiatrists.

Yugi's school does not exist in Dartmouth and proly N.S., though I'm quite sure another school of the same name exists somewhere else.

Thankies again to my wonderific reviewers Molly Jean, rox, Diamond, E, ShadowPhoenix, CutieCherry, Twilight Dreams, DracownyGirl, introspectivechild, I luv Yugi and Kurt so :p, someone, Synchronized Love, KittyKatu, AuroraDragonKaya, NocturnalQueen and Moerae and anyone else I missed! And apologies to anyone who's name I misspelled.

Chapter Two:

Nine years later…

            A sigh broke the silence of the room. Yugi lay sprawled across a couch, staring up at the ceiling. The same boring white ceiling he'd been seeing several times every week for the past four years. The couch on the other hand was new.

            Rolling onto his stomach the sixteen-year-old glared at the door. Dr. Jones was _late_. You weren't supposed to keep potentially crazy people waiting. Yup, that's right. He, Yugi Gardner, was considered insane. Well, sort of anyway.

            It was he and his adoptive family's deep, dark secret. He shuddered at the thought of anyone at school finding out, he was picked on enough as it was. Though maybe if they thought he was psychotic the bullies would avoid him… But, no. It would ruin his adoptive sister Tea's reputation too. He didn't want that.

            Yugi huffed. You stop talking for two years and lose all your memories of what happened before you were ten and people treat you like you're made of glass. He was perfectly sane, really, but if he so much as _blinked_ wrong they'd have him shipped off to the loony bin.

            The teen didn't even understand _why_ they kept him seeing a psychiatrist twice a week. I mean, they figured he had been severely traumatized by his father's murder, but he had those memories neatly suppressed right? Wouldn't they just cause him to flip out again by dredging the memories back up?

            Not that Yugi actually thought it was his dear old dad's death that had made him mute for two years. No, he was quite sure he was _glad_ his father was dead. His memories of early childhood weren't quite all gone; there were flashes of a yelling man, of pain and hot tears running down his cheeks. His father used to beat him, and the teen was positive the rat-bastard had gotten what he deserved.

            He wasn't about to divulge this tidbit of information to anyone. Holding feelings of malice towards one's gruesomely murdered father wasn't a sign of great sanity. Nor was feeling thankful towards a serial killer or man-slaughtering cult, whoever it was that committed the Sennen murders as they were called…

            The doorknob turned, and in walked Dr. Jones. Actually, it was more of an arrogant swagger, but when you get paid tens of thousands of dollars a year you're allowed arrogance. The man was, as always, dressed in a well-pressed suit, expensive black loafers, and a tie so ugly it should be illegal, neatly slicked back brown hair completing the ensemble.

            "You're late," Yugi informed the man, violet eyes peering over the arm of the couch.

            "I'm sorry," the psychiatrist replied. "I received a pressing phone call."

            "'Kay," the teen said, shrugging, and rolled over onto his back.

            Jones took a seat at his desk and flipped through a few papers. Yugi had started to think the act was just a well-rehearsed routine. The purpose of this routine was a mystery, but the 16-year-old was sure there was no point to the paper flipping.

            The teenager blinked, had the headshrinker asked him a question? "What?"

            Dr. Jones stared at him analytically. "Are you often easily distracted?"

            "I'm very imaginative. I daydream a lot," the patient replied. "My Art teacher says it's a characteristic of a good artist." Yugi didn't add that he thought the woman had made it up.

            "Alright." The man scratched something down on a notepad. "Have you experienced any mood swings or periods of deep depression?"

            The violet-eyed boy suppressed an exasperated sigh. "No," he answered, adding 'as always' mentally.

            "Have you been having any trouble in school?"

            "No."

            "Is anyone at school bothering you?"

            A slight pause. "No."

            "You're sure?"

            "Yes." Followed by a mental, 'Of course there are no bullies that beat the shit out of me for being shorter than a ten-year-old…'

            "Alright," The shrink repeated, jotting down more notes. "Have you experienced any repetitive dreams?"

            "No." There was no pause this time, but Yugi was still lying.

            "Any dreams that may have been memories?"

            "No." He kept having the same dream…

            "Have you seen anything that wasn't actually there?"

            "Do you mean like hallucinations or ghosts?" That dream about a person concealed in shadows…

            Dr. Jones gave him an impatient stare.

            "No." A person with eyes that glowed crimson…

            "Have you recovered any memories from before you came out of your silent period?" The psychiatrist continued questioning.

            Yugi shook his head. "My earliest memory is of when I was ten and on an airplane shipping me from Japan to the States."

            After he had moved back into the world of the speaking, someone had managed to track down his absent mother. Being his only living relative – or had it been closest living relative? – he had been sent overseas to New York to meet a woman he didn't even remember. The same woman who had left him to the mercy of her abusive husband.

            Of course abandoning him once hadn't been enough, and after having been with her for less than a year he woke up to find his mother gone. She never came back, and Yugi had spent the rest of the year hopping from one foster home to the next. People didn't seem to like having a potential psycho as a child…

            But then he had met the Gardners, and after only a month with them he had won their hearts with his innocent attitude and overall adorability. The kind family adopted him and he received from them the love he'd never experienced from his true family. Yugi's new sister became his first friend, and through her he had made more friends.

            Sometime during his twelfth year, the Gardners had moved to Canada. Dartmouth, Nova Scotia specifically. That's when he had started seeing Dr. Jones, as opposed to his previous psychiatrist, Dr. Malloy.

            Yugi pulled himself out of his memories, having missed another of his shrink's questions. "What?"

            The man repeated himself, and the teen held back a sigh as the questioning went on.

            Yami walked down the street, swathed in leather as always. He enjoyed these little moments in which he pretended to be human, wings hidden away magically. It amused him to play as one of his prey.

            The dark angel stopped in front of a particular storefront and stared incredulously at the objects displayed within. Cards, seemingly dubbed Duel Monster cards. But the creatures upon them! They were the same beasts that the Egyptians had played with before the locking away of the shadow games and his own creation.

            His interest peaked Yami glanced up at the sign above the window and entered the Turtle Game Shop. A bell tinkled as he walked in, alerting an old man at the counter to his presence.

            "Hello, what can I do for you?" the grey-haired man asked.

            "I saw the cards in your window, Duel Monsters is it?" the dark being questioned.

            "Yes, it is a fairly new game, involving magic, trap and monster cards which are used together to defeat your opponents."

            "Please, Mr.…?"

            "Mutou. Sugoroku Mutou."

            "Mr. Mutou, tell me more about this game…" Yami listened intently to the old man's words, the description of the game ringing many bells in his memory. Yes, this game _was_ based upon the old shadow games…

            After awhile the dark angel noticed Mr. Mutou giving him strange glances every-so-often. Raising an eyebrow the corrupted man asked, "Is there something wrong with my appearance?"

            "Oh, no!" Sugoroku replied, looking startled. "It's just… you remind me of my grandson."

            "Grandson?" Yami studied the short man in front of him. That hairstyle, and those violet eyes seemed strangely familiar…

            "Yes, my grandson, Yugi." Mr. Mutou continued. "I haven't seen him since he was five. I went to Egypt on a dig, and when I came back my son was dead and both Yugi and his mother were missing. I couldn't find anything on where they had gone."

            Images of a violet-eyed child flashed through Yami's head. Was this man's grandchild the boy he had given the Puzzle to? Interesting…

            Giving the old man his condolences, insincere as they were, the corrupted angel expressed his interest in creating a dueling deck of his own. He had a feeling it would be useful someday.

            _Yugi looked around, seeing nothing in the darkness surrounding him. It was the dream again… Without his permission the teen's body began to run from some unseen threat. It was always the same._

_            First he would run, and then… He screamed out as cold, invisible hands grabbed him from behind._

_            "No!"_

_            Pain flared around him, bright spots dancing across the otherwise black background. He continued screaming, the pain getting worse, never ending… Until, suddenly, it stopped._

_            The violet-eyed youth fell to his knees sobbing. After a moment Yugi became aware of a presence in front of him. He looked up slowly, knowing what he would see._

_            A shadowy figure with glowing red eyes._

            Yugi bolted upright as a loud beeping ripped him out of the dream state. Flailing wildly he managed to both knock the alarm clock off his dresser, shutting it off, and get extremely tangled in his sheets. Loosing his balance the teen fell from the bed with a _thud_.

            The bedroom was silent for a moment, until the 16-year-old gave a belated groan of pain. What a great way to start the day. Extracting himself from the knot of sheets and blankets, he stretched out, yawning.

            Time to get ready for another day at Willowbrook High.

            Flinging open the closet, Yugi appraised the selection of clothes and basked in the fashion freedom that was a school without uniforms. Pulling out a pair of black leather pants he wriggled into them and fastened them with a pair of crisscrossing silver-studded belts. Matching studded bands were placed upon slim wrists and a black hooded t-shirt slid down to cover a slender torso. Black socks and a neck belt followed, and running a comb through his gravity defying hair, the teen dubbed himself presentable.

            Observing himself in the mirror, Yugi rearranged his bangs slightly to hide the mark on his forehead as much as possible. This was a fairly easy task as the blotch was barely visible as it was, but if you looked very closely you could make out a patch of slightly redder skin on the teen's forehead. If you looked even closer you'd realize the spot of color was shaped like lips, as if someone had placed a permanent kiss on the young man's forehead.

            The teenager then looked forlornly at the golden object lying on his dresser. He hated not wearing the puzzle all the time, it was the only object he had kept from childhood, and it felt strangely important to him… Which was exactly the reason he _didn't_ wear it to school. He was too worried one of his bullies would steal it.

            Sighing, Yugi kissed the puzzle, completing his morning ritual, and ambled downstairs for his breakfast. 


	4. Chapter Three

Angel Corrupted

****

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh now… But when the Hujoshi take over the world I will! Oh I _will_! 

A/N: Still stuffs. AU, possible OOC-ness (they did grow up differently, eh?), bloody stuffs, mild swearing…shounen-ai! Yami/Yugi, slight Bakura/Ryou and possible Seto/Joey. Will be using American names, as that's the version I get!

There is a high unlikely-ness that there will be lemons in this fic, unless I can sucker one of my friends, Sazza (the yaoi pimp!) and Kitsune Kitana into it. Said peoples are also my beta readers and should be thanked. 

Yugi's school does not exist in Dartmouth and proly N.S., though I'm quite sure another school of the same name exists somewhere else.
    
    Thankies s'more to my wonderific reviewers rox, Shinimegami Seth, jeti, Sarina Fannel, Mistykasumi, Synchronized Love (*glomps plush dolls*), Yugismpuzzle, AuroraDragonKaya, someone (no mistake anymore!), OoO, Moerae and anyone else I missed! Apologies to anyone who's name I misspelled.

Answering questiony things… Yes, other peoples do exist as shall be seen in the next two/few chapters, and as said 'afore sorta, any yaoi with Seto will proly be with Joey. Yugi n' Yami will _definitely_ meet again, though maybe not for a chapter or two.

Chapter Three:

            Seto Kaiba glared at the angel sitting before of him, rustlings his wings in annoyance. "Have you located the fallen one yet?"

            "Maybe," the seated angel replied, staring up at the taller, though younger man looming over his desk. The blue-eyed warrior was somewhat of a nuisance, following his silly escapade to destroy the corrupted one. There was no point in attacking the body, when the soul was safe somewhere else.

            "What do you mean 'maybe'?" Seto snarled, eyes glinting fiercely. "You will tell me its location! You _can't_ be thinking of letting it roam free without even trying to stop it!"

            "Damn it, we've been trying to stop it for thousands of years, fledging!" The older angel growled back. "We have lost too many warriors in a futile quest to bring the fallen one down. The Puzzle is our key to victory and without it we can do _nothing_."

            "If we had struck as soon as we figured out its weakness we probably wouldn't still be in this mess! Though I still can't understand how it realized we knew…" The tall brunette ranted.

            Shaking his head the older angel muttered, "You underestimate it. The fallen one is not some mindless, murdering beast, as you seem to think. It is highly and cruelly intelligent, and stronger than you could ever dream of being. The only reason you could have survived so many encounters with it is because you amuse it. It is _playing_ with you, boy."

            "Maybe you give it too much credit, old man. Now where. Is. It?"

            There was no use arguing with the headstrong angel, as soon as he was healed from the last battle he was out searching for another one. He was obsessed. "England. Last spotted near London. You find it from there."

            With a swirl of feathers and fabric the warrior was gone.

             Sitting on the grass, Yugi marveled at the warmth of the sun. The weather lately had been rather strange, it was October, and it was warm. And not just spring warm either it was almost summer-like warm. Not that he was complaining, no, it was just odd for Nova Scotia to be this temperature for an entire month so late in the year. The temperature hadn't dropped below 18ºC since September and now it was the 28th of October.

            Oh well, it was perfect weather for the Halloween costume he had planned, and it made a pleasant atmosphere for sitting outside and eating lunch. Speaking of lunch… The 16-year-old took an enormous bite of his sandwich.

            And almost choked on it as somebody popped up and shouted in his ear.

            "Hey Yug!"

            Sputtering, the teen managed to force out a strangled, "Joey!"

            Slapping his smaller friend on the back, the tall, blonde boy known as Joey Wheeler smiled apologetically. "Sorry 'bout that bud. Didn't mean to startle ya."

            "Nice going, Joey," another teen, this one with pointy brown hair snorted. "You almost killed him."

            "Ah, can it Tristan," Joey growled at his other friend. "You're okay, aren't ya Yug?"

            The violet-eyed boy smiled weakly, and gave the two older boys a thumbs-up. Joey and Tristan Taylor were his best friends, and the only friends he'd ever made on his own. They were also the only good thing bullying had ever brought him.

            Last year he had been enrolled along with Tea into Willowbrook High-school, only fifteen at the time. He had skipped a grade in elementary, and had been in the same grade as his year-older sister since then. 

Since the first day he stepped inside the school he was ignored by most people, and bullied by the rest. Tea quickly developed a group of friends and he tagged along with them a lot of the time. The teenage girls all thought he was adorable, and didn't mind his presence too much, but sometimes it had become obvious that Tea rather not have him around.

It was a perfectly reasonable feeling though; most girls didn't like having to drag their little brother with them everywhere. Because of this Yugi stopped hanging around with her, keeping mostly to himself, accidentally making himself more of target.

So, one day when he was getting a particularly nasty beating from one of his main bullies, two boys had suddenly shown up, and started yelling. They ended up scaring off the bully and had carried him to the nurse's office. His attacker was expelled, and his saviors, Joey and Tristan, declared him their friend.

Yugi was thankful for the two teenagers' companionship for more than just one reason. Ever since he had hooked up with them, the bullying had become less frequent and less violent. Not that they _knew_ he was still getting hurt, and he wasn't about to tell them. He didn't want them to worry.

Pulling himself out of the past, Yugi continued eating, chatting amiably with his friends until the bell rang.

People filed in through the door, taking seats for the last class of the day. This was the one class Yugi had with both Tristan and Joey, and the three of them had claimed a corner, which they unfortunately had to share with another boy. There was nothing _wrong _with sharing the corner… but Marik was freakin' _scary_ sometimes.

Dropping his English stuff onto his desk, Yugi looked over the notes he had taken last class. They were doing a section on well-known murders and murderers, and had just finished up with Jack the Ripper.

Some people were bothered by the topic, especially the times the discussion turned gruesome. The innocent-looking teen didn't find it bothered him much, unlike Marik's laugh. Marik liked to laugh when the conversation went gory.

Yugi greeted his tall friends as they sat down, and felt slightly relieved when Marik didn't show up. He would have been fine if the blonde Egyptian just sat there; he was nice to ogle at after-all, very nice. Not that the 16-year-old ever _told_ anyone he ogled at guys, it was kind of a secret… But anyway. Marik refused to be a good little bishounen and insisted on creeping Yugi out.

The class settled down as the teacher, Mrs. Johnson, stood up, signaling the start of the lesson. Clearing her throat she spoke, "Today we'll be starting on the subject of one of the most well-known, and longest lasting string of murders known to man."

Yugi's breath caught slightly. She couldn't mean…?

"This chain of murders has recently been traced back thousands of years to possible origins in ancient Egypt," Mrs. Johnson continued. "These gruesome killings continue to take lives even today, and the culprits, throughout history, have never been caught or even seen except by their victims. Can anyone guess what I'm talking about?"

Most of the student's shot up a hand, excluding Yugi, who was biting his lip nervously. He didn't like it when people talked about these murders… Someone might know too much, they might figure out who he really was…

"Ms. Valentine?" The teacher asked, eyeing a purple-leather-clad girl. Yugi thought her first name was Mia or Mai.

"You're talking about the Sennen Murders," the rather voluptuous teen answered.

"Correct. Now, for all the years these murders have been occurring, it has been found that each killing follows a sort of pattern. All the victims were carrying weapons, or were the victors in fights. This included warriors and knights in the past, other murderers, gangs, thugs and even police officers."

            At some point during Mrs. Johnson's talk, Yugi had begun to zone out. He could hear every word that she said, but it was if she was far away. A cloud was falling over his mind, and his hand clutched tighter around the pen he was holding.

            "The only way to identify a killing as a Sennen Murder is by the same 'calling card' that gave them their name."

            A golden shape flashed through the haze that was Yugi's mind. His hand jerked, seemingly of its own accord, dragging pen across paper. An eye… almost like that on his pyramid puzzle.

            "An eye, of Egyptian background, which archaeologists named the Sennen, or Millenium Eye."

            A flash of metal, a blade biting into flesh, carving out a shape. The movement was flawless, perfected over the years. Yugi's hand moved faster, sketching out objects on a blank page.

            "The Eye would be carved into the forehead of the victim."

            The eye stood out red against white skin, too white, dead white. But the cuts didn't bleed, simply stayed as clean, red lines. Of course they didn't bleed, how could a person bleed when all their blood is on the floor around them?

            The scene snapped backwards, replayed, and Yugi ceased to hear his teacher. Dagger, glinting, descending, it was such a pretty little thing, all silver and black, too small to really be a weapon. Guided by a bloody hand it sliced through skin like butter. No blood. Blood all gone.

            Red eye on forehead, doesn't it look bright against that pale skin? The hand twitched some more, skritchskritch, look at it draw.  But it isn't the only red eye, and compared to the others it is nothing. The others are so bright they glow…

            Glowing red eyes.

            A meter stick slammed down on his desk, narrowly missing the violet-eyed teenager's wandering hand. Startled out of his reverie, Yugi screamed, causing the class to burst out in giggles and snickers.

            He looked up meekly to find Mrs. Johnson glowering down at him. The woman hissed out, "Mr. Gardner, would you like to share with the class what could be so enthralling as to make you ignore your name being called no less than _five_ _times_?"

            More snickers were heard from the class. Yugi covered his paper with his arms. "I-I'm sorry."

            "Give me the paper, Mr. Gardner." The teacher demanded, and the 16-year-old hesitated. "Now."

            Sliding the paper out from under his arms, it was snatched up by Mrs. Johnson. He bit his lip, worried tears building up in his eyes. No one could know, not that his father had been murdered, not that he was crazy. And what the _hell_ had that…that trance been about?

            Was he remembering…?

            Mrs. Johnson stared at the paper in shock. Yugi had always been one of her best students, quiet, smart, well mannered, and he looked so… innocent. But the things on this paper…

            The Sennen Eye, thick, drawn in a way to appear as if glowing. The Eye again, this time cut above two 'real' ones that looked lifeless. A body, shadowed, a pool of blood spreading out to stain a quarter of the page, seeming to shift into a dark figure with glowing eyes. And dominating the page was a dagger, the tip stained with blood.

            She was still stunned as the bell rang, and was too late to say anything as Yugi grabbed his things and bolted out the door.

            The dagger glinted in the moonlight as it was tossed into the air, then fell back down to be caught again. Yami mused as to what might happen if he failed to catch it. Would it fall to the ground and break? Or hit an innocent passerby who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time?

            Toss. Catch.

            If it did hit someone would it kill them? Or simply injure them? Or maybe damage them for life?

            Toss. Catch.

            What if it hit an animal? He didn't like hurting animals, they reminded him a lot of himself. Driven by what they were to do what they did. You couldn't blame a wolf pack for killing a deer. It was instinct.

            Toss. Catch.

            Okay, so maybe animals killed for food, and he for fun. It was still what he was. Yami. Darkness. Besides, how was killing for fun any different than what the humans did? At least he didn't kill his own species.

            Toss. Catch.

            Oh, fine. So he didn't actually have a species, and usually took great pleasure in killing the closest thing he had to one. Angels.

            Toss.

            He blinked, as the dagger didn't come back down. Smirking slightly, Yami turned around. "Hello, Seto."

            The tall angel twirled the dagger, stretching out his wings. They were really quite interesting wings, white, but a shade of which was nearly blue, and had an almost metallic sheen to them.

            "You have something of mine." The dark being spoke softly. "Give it back."

            "I don't think so." The tall brunette replied coldly.

            "That wasn't a request, angel."

            "Maybe if you tell me where the Puzzle is, I'll return the dagger, fallen one."

            Yami gave a bark of laughter. "As if! You know, I'm starting to get tired of you. You can only play with a toy for so long before it bores you."

            Seto twitched. "I am no toy of yours, you bastard."

            "Au contraire." The corrupted being darted forward, pinning the taller man to ground. Grabbing one of the angel's wrists he squeezed it until Kaiba dropped the dagger. Snatching it up, he placed it against his captive's throat.

             He had begun to place pressure on the blade, drawing a thin line across the angel's throat when a sudden thought stopped him. Looking thoughtful for a moment, Yami then said, "What am I to you, Kaiba?"

            The blue-eyed man looked bewildered, "What?"

            "What am I to you?" The dark angel repeated. "What little half-lie did your great Council of Angels tell you? Am I an angel that went rogue and started killing, a physical manifestation of the old shadow games, or maybe some dark creature spawned from the depths of the Earth?"

            "You are an abomination," Seto hissed, "And I will not stop until I have brought those you slaughtered to justice."

            "Justice?" Yami howled with laughter. "Who are you, angel, to talk about justice? Was it justice that warranted Hikari's fate? Tell me! Where was your justice the day such light was extinguished?"

            Kaiba blinked. "Hikari? What are you talking about?"

            Yami stopped, calming slightly. "Of course, they would have never told you…" He pushed himself off the angel. "I will let you live, for now. Look for Hikari, and don't come back until you find him."

            And before the blue-eyed angel could say a thing, his nemesis disappeared into the night.


	5. Chapter Four

Angel Corrupted

****

Disclaimer: *chibi Lio walks by a store window**looking in she sees the ownership of Yu-Gi-Oh advertised**point* I want that mommy! I want it! *mother shakes head and pulls wailing daughter away*

The moral of the story is that no, I do not own anything related to Yu-Gi-Oh…except this one poster that I got free and accidentally... *grin*

A/N: Yes, once again stuffs. AU, possible OOC-ness (they did grow up differently, eh?), bloody stuffs, mild swearing…shounen-ai! Yami/Yugi, slight Bakura/Ryou and possible Seto/Joey. Will be using American names (mostly…), as that's the version I get!

There is a high unlikely-ness that there will be lemons in this fic, unless I can sucker one of my friends, Sazza (the yaoi pimp!) and Kitsune Kitana into it. Said peoples are also my beta readers and should be thanked. 

Yugi's school does not exist in Dartmouth and proly N.S., though I'm quite sure another school of the same name exists somewhere else. And yes, some people say Yugi looks like a 10-year-old or crud, but I figure if you compared Yugi with _his_ younger self, current Yugi would be noticeably older. Please excuse Joey's accent, it comes and goes in my writing…-_-;
    
    Thankies mucho to my wonderific reviewers rox, Princess Strawberry, ExBobble06, Angel Reaper, yugifan, someone, E, Yami Dragoness, Synchronized Love (*giggles happily and hoards Easter Bunny and eggs*), mistykasumi, Ocean, rindi, Charmeleon, angel lover, Ryasha (I don't mind, it feels nice to know I've inspired someone), Firehedgehog (yah…I kin'na live in Dartmouth too. ^_^; It's easier to write something on common ground), Dilandau-is-My-Boyfriend, Yugismpuzzle, Katie, Angel Yami and anyone else I missed! Apologies to anyone who's name I misspelled.

Answering questiony-type thingies… Yes, Yugi shall be found, but not 'til next chapter really… and it will more likely be followed by kawaii shounen-ai than yummy yaoi. *grin*

Y'know…I dun think I like this chapter much…

Chapter Four:

            Mrs. Gardner cracked open the bedroom door and peered in at her son. He was always just a son to her, never adopted in her mind. She loved the innocent, young boy and when he had darted in after school looking distressed, she had grown worried.

            "Yugi darling, supper is ready." The woman spoke softly.

            The bundle of blankets that was her son shifted, and a quiet voice mumbled out, "I don't feel so good, I think I'll just rest."

            A deeply saddened look crossed Mrs. Gardner's face. The boy (though he wasn't really a boy anymore, was he?) had gone straight up to his room after arriving home and hadn't left it since.

            "Is there anything you want?" She asked.

            "No thank you."

            Sighing, Mrs. Gardner quietly shut the door.

            Yugi shivered, wrapping his blankets closer around his body. He had fallen back into a near trance, that scene flashing over and over again in his mind. The dagger, the blood, the Eye, pale flesh, dead eyes, burning red eyes…

            The 16-year-old resisted the urge to scream in frustration, to yell for it all to stop, to at least make _sense_! He knew it was a memory, the night his father was murdered, but… red eyes? It was so strange. He was missing half the story, but he had a sinking feeling that he didn't really want to know the rest…

            Oh well, at least tomorrow was Saturday. He didn't have to worry about Mrs. Johnson for a while… besides; he had plans for the weekend. A certain Halloween costume that needed tending to.

            The small teen gradually relaxed, as thoughts of the future, and images of the past followed him to sleep.

            _It was the dark again. But…the dream felt different this time, unfamiliar. Yugi spun around, confused. The dream had always been the same, what was he supposed to do now that it had changed?_

_            Then…he spotted a light in the far distance and was drawn inexorably towards it. As he came closer to the spot of brightness he became aware of some sort of black slab jutting from the ground. But what was that stuck to it…?_

_            Yugi gasped. It was himself! He was chained to the strange obsidian rock, the puzzle dangling from his neck. But no…it wasn't him. The boy was younger, looking like Yugi had when he was ten or eleven, and then there were the wings. Pure, white wings drooped from the child's back, almost glowing._

_            Moving into the light the 16-year-old watched as the child that looked so much like him raised his head and violet eyes met violet. One set startled, the other sad and filled with such an innocence as Yugi had never seen._

_            The reverie between the two boys was broken as a high wind swept through the circle of light and darkness coalesced above the slab. Suddenly, the darkness plunged down into the younger boy's chest._

_            Both of them were screaming, and as the darkness spread through the bound child, staining his wings black, a wave of pure light was repulsed from the screaming boy. Yugi's eyes widened as the swell of white tumbled towards him, and crashed into his body…_

            A loud gasp resounded through the quiet of Yugi's room as he bolted upright, sweat coursing down his back. What the _hell_ had that been? That was one dream that was definitely _not_ a memory.

            Having calmed down significantly, the teenager wrinkled his nose. Sliding out of bed he tugged off his sweat soaked clothes and tossed them into his hamper. Glancing at the clock he found it was just past midnight. Groaning, the boy went back to bed, hoping the rest of his sleep would be dreamless.

            What a way to start the day…

            Crimson eyes glanced over a hand of cards to meet a cold, gaze, tinted brown by contact lenses. Smirking, Yami pulled five cards from his hand and laid them down.

            "I summon Exodia, the Forbidden One, and I believe you just lost." The dark angel's smirk widened as his opponent cursed loudly. "9th time in a row, iceling."

            "Don't rub in, darkling," the ice demon known as Bakura snarled.

            The corrupted angel chuckled. He had met the demon after his little rendezvous with Seto, and had been thoroughly amused by the partially insane, and rather sadistic creature. Enough so that he decided not to kill Bakura as long as the iceling didn't annoy him. 

At some point the game Duel Monsters had popped up, and the two had been dueling on and off ever since, Yami remaining the undefeated champion. It wasn't that Bakura wasn't a good opponent, but what could you expect dueling the being that embodied the very shadow games that Duel Monsters was based on?

The ice demon continued to fume silently until a soft voice spoke up. "I think that's enough dueling for today. How about we go fetch some lunch?"

Both duelers turned to look at the smaller ice demon, who had been watching them. He was Ryou, Bakura's mate, and the two were almost complete opposites. Personality-wise anyway. But Yami had to admit that the couple balanced each other well, Ryou curbing Bakura's more murderous instincts, and Bakura bringing out his mate's more… adventurous side.

Physically though, the two were stunningly similar, even beyond their racial characteristics of white hair, pale skin and serrated ears. They had an almost identical hairstyle, cleverly positioned to hide said serrated ears, they wore similar clothes, and they had even chosen the same colored contacts, a nice brown to cover their natural eye color, a shade of blue so pale as to almost seem an icy white.

Ryou was probably another reason Yami hadn't killed Bakura. He had always had a soft spot for innocents, and the sweet iceling was one of the few demons who was, indeed, innocent.

Standing up, Bakura embraced his mate, stealing a kiss. "Lunch would be good, I _am_ getting hungry…" He glanced at Yami. "Will _you_ be coming?"

The fallen angel grinned. "You two are my newest interest, if you didn't invite me, I'd probably just come anyway."

Bakura snorted, "Stalker."

"Psycho."

"Freak."

"Sadist."

"Like you can talk, Killee McGee!"

"…Did you just call me Killee McGee?"

"Yes, and it disturbs me greatly. I have no idea what came over me."

"Crazy-ass demon."

The two continued their banter as they walked off, Ryou shaking his head in amusement.

Yugi sat in bed, picking at the lunch his mother had brought up. He was trying to puzzle out his most recent dream, as if the repeating one hadn't been confusing enough. Giving up on rational thought for a while, the teenager concentrated on eating his food. Mm, left over mashed potatoes and roast beef.

The violet-eyed teen was brought out of his food trance by a knock on the door. Looking up, he saw Joey peek in.

"Hey buddy, how'ya doin'? You're mom said you weren't feeling too good, and after English yesterday we were kinda worried about ya."

Idly playing with his fork, Yugi laughed nervously. "I'm okay. I was just a little tired yesterday, must've been why I zoned out."

"You sure you're alright?" Joey questioned, looking a bit skeptical.

"I'm fine!"

"Well, okay then. But speaking of zoning out, what all did'ya miss during class?"

"Um…well, everything after Mrs. Johnson started talking about the Eye…" the small teen averted his eyes and fiddled with his fingers.

"Whoa! You missed almost the entire class Yug!" the tall blonde exclaimed. "Well, after that she mentioned the one murder that didn't fit with any of the others. The only reason it was classified as a Sennen Murder was 'cause of the Eye carved in his forehead."

"Really?" Yugi listened with rapt attention, ignoring the anxiety niggling at the back of his mind. Why did this sound familiar…? "Who was it?"

"It's kinda freaky, no-one knows why the guy was attacked. He was just your average Joe and some Sennen freak broke into his house, murdered him and roughed up his kid."

Yugi stopped breathing.

"His name was Kora-Koro…Koranu Moto, or somethin' like that."

"Korianu," whispered Yugi, eyes wide and unseeing. "Korianu Mutou."

Something deep in the small teenager's mind came crashing down, releasing a flood of memories. "Oh."

Joey continued on, unaware of the mental pain he had just released. "Yeah, and hey, his kid had the same name as you, Yug! Some coincidence, huh?"

A sob tore itself from the violet-eyed boy's throat. His eyes flooded with tears and he clenched them closed, hands fisting in his hair, trying to block out the memories. He had known his father had beaten him, but he hadn't remembered the fear, the pain…

And that night had been the worst. The look in his father's eyes… he would've raped him. His own father would have raped him. The pain…

The scene was playing fully in his head now, and suddenly those other dreams made sense. Running from his father, being caught, beaten… then the window imploding, and a figure, his savior, with glowing red eyes… and… wings?

Joey watched in shock as his friend flipped out. He reached out a hand and placed in on the smaller teen's shoulder. "Yug? Yugi! What's wrong?"

He didn't understand why his friend was so upset. It wasn't like it was _his_ father that was killed… The blonde's eyes widened. The boy's name had been Yugi. Oh. "Holy shit, Yug… I'm sorry."

The tall boy pulled Yugi into a tight hug, and the younger boy clung to him, sobbing into his shirt.

"I'm so sorry… I can't believe… I can't believe some bastard murdered your father."

The indigo-eyed teen's sobs cut off suddenly, and a look of malice crept onto his face, hidden in his older friend's shirt. He hissed out, "Korianu Mutou deserved to die."

Joey recoiled and stared down at his friend, normally bright eyes filled with spite. "Wh-what?"

"He… hurt me. A lot. He was a drunkard. He was a drunk, abusive asshole." Yugi snarled. "He deserved to die. He was… that night, he was going to… going to r-ra…" He couldn't finish the word, couldn't admit it out loud. Fresh tears coursed from the boy's eyes.

Joey simply held the shaking form of one of his best friends, stunned by his glances into the small teen's psyche.

"He saved me," Yugi whispered, "The dark man saved me…"

Two demons and a corrupted angel were sitting on a building throwing pebbles at the stupid mortals strolling back and forth across the street. Well, Yami and Bakura were, Ryou had politely declined. It was there that a third ice demon found them.

The dark angel glanced up at the man, comparing him to the other icelings. This one had straight hair of a bluer shade of white, pulled back in a loose ponytail to cover his ear tips. His contacts were grey.

"What is it, Karn?" Bakura growled, annoyed at being interrupted from his 'play'.

"I am sorry to disturb you, Master Bakura. But we have gotten some unsettling news from the clan in Nova Scotia."

"Oh?" The sadistic demon looked a tad more interested.

"Apparently pyros are gathering en mass there. Enough to have started effecting the weather, we fear they may be planning a takeover."

"Pyros?" Yami whispered to Ryou.

"Slang for fire demons," the gentle iceling answered.

Bakura slammed his fist against the ground. "What the hell are they doing so far north?! They _know_ Canada is ice demon territory!"

Enough fire demons amassed to affect the weather… it was certainly a serious matter, if Yami did say so himself. He could see why they were telling Ryou and Bakura. The dark angel had recently discovered that, though by themselves the mates were fairly strong, together they were probably the strongest icelings in the world. A good match indeed.

"We leave for Nova Scotia immediately," Bakura stated, standing up. Ryou nodded his consent.

"Very good, sir." Karn said.

"I'm coming with you," Yami spoke in a voice that left no room for discussion.

As Yugi curled up in his bed, asleep, a small private jet flew overhead. And as a burning sensation lanced through his head the teen jolted awake, screaming bloody murder. Hands groped at a mark left long ago, a permanent kiss that had flared hotly to life.


	6. Chapter Five

Angel Corrupted

****

Disclaimer: Well see…maybe I _do_ own Yu-Gi-Oh, ya know? And just the evil editor peoples wouldn't let me show my great yaoi-y, and violent ideas on TV? Huh? _Huh??_

…yeah. I think not. Me no ownies.

A/N: The stuffs is still here. AU, possible OOC-ness (they did grow up differently, eh?), bloody stuffs, some swearing…shounen-ai! Yami/Yugi, slight Bakura/Ryou and possible Seto/Joey. Will be using American names (mostly…), as that's the version I get!

There is a high unlikely-ness that there will be lemons in this fic, unless I can sucker one of my friends, Sazza (the yaoi pimp!) and Kitsune Kitana into it. Said peoples are also my beta readers and should be thanked. 

Yugi's school does not exist in Dartmouth and proly N.S., though I'm quite sure another school of the same name exists somewhere else. Please excuse Joey's accent, it comes and goes in my writing…-_-;
    
    Thankies mucho to my wonderific reviewers Sarina Fannel, Skie de Fondu, cep, Niko, E, mistykasumi, Wolfspeaker, rox, starworks, Yugismpuzzle, ExBobble06, rindi, JuliTina, Firehedgehog, Angel Reaper, Ryasha (Do you have a scanner? Can I see your pictures?), Kit, archangemon and anyone else I missed! Apologies to anyone who's name I misspelled.
    
    Y'know…Yugi's dream-sequence last chapter explains exactly who he is in relation to Yami/Hikari…its just kinda unclear. Oh well…motto is 'To be clearly irrational, rationally insane and to always speak simply in a roundabout way.'
    
    …okay…I had somewhat planned this chapter…but then it totally wrote itself. O_o; Anyone think it's getting a bit overdramatic…?
    
    Geez, this is getting long, innit? *coughs* Now for some self-advertisement! If you enjoy this story, you may also enjoy the other Yu-Gi-Oh fanfictions I have started! Yami is Life (AU, sci-fi), Banana Fest (AU, involving superpowers and mental institutes), and The Mummy: Yaoi Style (mutated version of the movie The Mummy). Please check out, read and review!

Chapter Five:

            Tea burst into Yugi's room, followed closely by her parent's. They had been torn from their sleep by a sudden scream, which they then realized was coming from the adopted boy. The teen was still shrieking painfully as he convulsed on his bed, hands grasping at his face.

            Rushing to her son's side, Mrs. Gardner tried to figure out what was wrong. It couldn't have been a nightmare, this was much worse; he seemed to be in actual, physical pain. Her husband joined her, trying to hold the boy still before he hurt himself.

            Yugi continued twitching in his adoptive father's grasp, but his screams faded into sobs and whimpers. He continued to clutch at his forehead, tears streaming down his cheeks.

            Tea sat on the edge of her brother's bed and stroked his hair. "Shh, calm down. It's all right."

            The violet-eyed boy slowly stilled, apart from occasional shudders caused by sobs. Slowly, Mr. Gardner pried the teen's hands from his brow, trying to see the assumed source of pain… and gasped.

            There was a large swollen blotch in the center of Yugi's forehead, practically glowing an angry red. It looked damn painful, and he reached out a tentative finger to touch it, only to recoil it as he found the mark to be burning hot.

            "Was _is_ that?" Tea questioned, staring in mild disgust at the crimson welt.

            "I don't know," the girl's mother answered. "It almost looks like… a kiss."

            The other two blinked, then gawked at the raw sore. It _did_ look rather like a pair of lips; in fact, it looked _exactly_ like a kiss. It was like some horrible parody of a lipstick smear.

            Yugi's eyes blinked open, bleary with tears and pain. "What…happened…?"

            "We don't know, honey," Mrs. Gardner answered. "We woke up to find you screaming."

            "Where did you get that?" Mr. Gardner butted in, pointing at his adopted son's forehead.

            "Where I get wha-" The small teenager's eyes widened significantly, his hands slapping over his lightly throbbing forehead. "My mark!"

            "Your… mark?" Mr. Gardner's eyes narrowed. "Yugi, what is that thing?"

            "Ah… I-I dunno…" The young man stuttered. "I've had it as far back as I c-can remember. It must be a b-birth mark or something…" A lie. He remembered where it came from now, only one place it _could_ have come from. That night when the killer, his savior, had kissed him on the forehead and left a bloody imprint. A mark that had never quite gone away.

            "Birthmarks don't just look like lip-prints," the man of the household stated. "That thing is more like a tattoo…or a _brand_ of some sort. Are you doing something we don't know about, Yugi?"

            "Wh-what?" The violet-eyed boy stammered in surprise.

            "Yugi Gardner, are you in a gang?"

            "What?! No!"

            "Really, dear!" Mrs. Gardner said, also shocked.

            "I'm serious! Don't lie to me Yugi. Are you in a gang? Or… or some sort of cult?" The man's eyes expanded in sudden comprehension. "Are you a part of that Sennen cult?"

            "Eh??" Yugi couldn't believe what he was hearing. Where was his father coming from? The teenager didn't understand what was going on with his dad, the man had always been kind to him, treated him like his own son, even when the secret about his possible insanity had come out.

            The sixteen-year-old whimpered, backing away from his adoptive parent. Tea was behind him and he curled into her protective embrace, as she too looked put-off by her dad's uncharacteristic behavior.

            "Stop that right now!" Mrs. Gardner shouted. "Can't you see you're scaring our children?! I am appalled by your behavior, out of this room. Now!"

            Mr. Gardner blinked, startled. "I-I… I'm sorry Yugi, I don't know… I…"

            "Out. Now," the teenager's mother repeated firmly. "_I_ am going to comfort our son."

            The man shuffled dejectedly out of the room, looking distressed by his own behavior. Mrs. Gardner turned to her children and pulled them into a hug.

            "Don't worry about your father, darlings. It's late, and we're all under a little stress because of certain… things. None of us are really thinking clearly."

            _Certain things_, Yugi thought, tears coming to his eyes. _Certain things like my little 'problem'_. He was a burden on his family as it was, and now this… Was he going to break up his family?

_Don't go that far…_But he couldn't really help it. With this, his problem coupled with his resurfacing memories, he just couldn't handle it. And so he buried his face in his mother's shoulder and wrapped in the arms of his family he began to cry again, but this time it was out of sorrow.

The glass in Seto's hand cracked under the force of his fisted appendage, spilling its contents over the table. The warrior angel snarled loudly, it was so damn _frustrating_! He couldn't find anything on a male going by the name of 'Hikari' that would have any relation to the fallen one. 

Well actually, he hadn't been able to find any living males by the name of Hikari (he had even asked his little brother Mokuba if he knew anyone by that name. "Only a girl a few years older than me, Seto."), and he hadn't really been looking for long… but that was completely beside the point! And he was _sure_ that his superiors were keeping information from him, the bloody liars.

Kaiba began cleaning up the fragments of glass, scowl deepening as he thought back to his confrontation with his leaders.

_The three head warrior angels glanced up from their meeting as the fighter known as Seto Kaiba burst in. The boy really took too many liberties just because he was more powerful than most…_

_"I thought you had gone to get your ass kicked by the fallen one," one of the three spoke._

_"I did," Seto replied, bristling at the insult. _

_Eyebrows were raised in surprise. "And you came out of the encounter unscathed? Usually you're stuck at the Healers' for weeks."_

_"Well, this time it made an interesting…request and fled," the blue-eyed angel continued on quickly, before he could be questioned. "What do you know of a man or boy named Hikari?"_

_Kaiba noted the stiffening of the leaders' wings, feathers fluffing up. It was a nervous reaction, strange for such an innocent sounding question…unless they knew something important._

_"Can't say I know anything," a head angel replied. "I have a granddaughter called Hikari, but I don't believe I've ever met a male of that name."_

_"I didn't _ask_ if you'd _met_ a male Hikari, I asked what you knew of one."_

_"Mr. Kaiba, you seem to forget your place. You are in no position to make demands of us, your leaders. We know nothing of this 'Hikari' you speak of, so drop the subject and leave."_

_Glaring icily at the three old angels, Seto turned on his heal and left._

They were definitely holding back information, but there wasn't anything _he_ could do about it. The head warriors may be weaker than him, but relatively speaking they still had more power. _Fucking politics…_

Strumming his fingers irritably on the table, the tall brunette pondered his next move. What could he do? Where could he find something on some guy named Hikari? Who the hell names their son Hikari anyway? It was a girly name…

Maybe there was something about a Hikari in the history books, though he doubted it. Seto's eyes widened suddenly. Books. Books of records… Of course! The angel nearly smacked himself in the head at the obviousness.

Grabbing his trench coat, he darted out the door. He was headed to the capital to consult the Book of Lives.

The letters on the side of the large building read Mic Mac Mall, and this was where Yugi would be spending most of his day. The fact that he'd be away from his family, who were all on edge, was just an unexpected plus to the previously planned venture.

He was on a mission. What mission might you ask? Well, Yugi Gardner was out to concoct the Perfect Halloween Costume, and he knew exactly what he was looking for. Finding it would be the hard part…

But thing was first, he needed to visit a hair stylist. Not to get it cut or anything, he'd never do that to his wonderful hair (unless it got a little too long). He was simply going to have his hair tamed in the only way he knew how.

So, when Yugi stepped out of the hairdressers a few hours later his multicolored locks had been carefully plaited into many tiny braids. The braiding effectively negated his hair's gravity defying ability and it now hung down, bouncing against his shoulders.

It was lunchtime by the time the stylist had finished up and so he made a stop at the food court, going over the list of things he needed and didn't. He had already bought the footwear and clothing he needed, and he only needed to make a quick stop at some convenience store to get the eye makeup he needed. After that, the hard part would begin.

He had been searching for weeks for a source of authentic-looking Egyptian jewelry, and had had no luck so far. Most of it was cheap and often plastic, none of it seeming to suit his purposes. Maybe he was just being picky, but he wanted this costume to be perfect.

The violet-eyed teenager was hopeful today, he had heard that someone had opened an exotic jewelry store recently, and thought maybe they would have something worth buying.

After finishing his meal and purchasing his eye make-up, Yugi went to consult the map of the mall. Locating the store he wanted, Ishtar's Amulet (wasn't Ishtar Marik's last name…?), he headed for the escalator.

Reaching his destination, the short teen stared in awe at the small store. Walking into the shop his senses were caressed by the light, hypnotizing sound of some exotic music, soft lighting and the relaxing yet invigorating smell of an unidentified incense.

He was surrounded by jewelry, the likes of which in many cases he had never seen. Hanging from the walls, balanced on shelves, hooked on racks. There were bracelets and armlets and anklets, necklaces and chokers and pendants, headbands and tiaras, earrings and toe rings and simple rings for fingers, and much more. Staring at him from all corners were beads and crystals, gems and shells. The selection was astounding.

The sixteen-year-old was so caught up in examining the trinkets he didn't notice the woman who had approached him until she spoke.

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

Yugi yelped, then blushed, turning his attention to the woman. She had straight black hair, piercing blue eyes, and was wearing what appeared to be an Egyptian dress. The exotic lady was adorned with a large amount of seemingly authentic gold jewelry.

"Hi, I'm looking for some Ancient Egyptian style jewelry," the violet-eyed boy replied. "I've been looking around for some for quite awhile, but couldn't find any that I liked…"

The woman nodded. "I am Ishizu Ishtar, owner of this shop. I'm sure we can find something to your liking. Come with me." Beckoning with one hand, she moved to the rear of the store.

The back wall was covered with Egyptian jewelry, all of it of a fine quality Yugi had not previously seen. "This is our general selection of Egyptian ornaments. If you have anything specific in mind, just ask, and I'll see if I can find it for you."

"Thank you!" the teenager replied, eyes wide. Stepping closer to the wall he began to examine the jewelry more closely. Eyeing the pieces, he noticed that none of them had prices. Oh well, he'd just have to ask Ishizu if he picked anything.

Picking a couple wristbands, a matching set of armlets, a single anklet and a beautifully beaded wesekh, he couldn't see anything else he really wanted. Approaching Ishizu, who was now standing behind a counter that sported the cash register, he silently hoped he'd be able to afford all of it.

Placing his future purchases on the counter, Yugi asked tentatively, "How much are these?"

The Egyptian woman looked over each piece of jewelry, then rang up a number on the register. Sighing in relief, the teenager pulled out his wallet and fished out the money. Thankfully the trinkets had not been real gold.

"Is this all you would like to buy?" Ishizu inquired.

The spiky-haired youth chewed on his lip. "Actually, I was thinking of buying something to cover my forehead, but none of the tiaras or headbands appealed to me…"

"Is there anything you were looking to match it with?"

Yugi hesitated for a moment, could he trust this woman who he had just met? Yet… there was something about Ishizu that set him at ease. Making his decision, the short teen reached into the bag he had brought, and pulled out his puzzle.

"I wanted something to go with this."

The woman inhaled sharply. She knew what that was, what it represented. Snapping her eyes up to the seemingly innocent boy in front of her she scrutinized him. Surely this child couldn't be the feared darkling…?

But no, he couldn't. And she had heard rumor that the fallen angel had left up his Puzzle someplace or with someone. Though why would he leave it with a human child? In hope of answering her questions Ishizu reached out with her _other_ senses, with the powers she had inherited from her father, those which made her a Seer.

This display took only moments, and went unnoticed by the woman's customer. But during those moments Ishizu _knew_, had learned things that she would never utter to another living being. Smiling secretly to herself, the Egyptian reached under the counter, reappearing with a golden headband. In the center of the band lay a depiction of an eye, not unlike the one on the Puzzle.

"Will this do?"

Yugi took a hold of the gold circlet, running his fingers over it. "Yeah! This is perfect." Then he frowned. "But this… it's real gold, isn't it?"

The raven-haired woman nodded. "Perhaps, but that does not matter. It is yours to keep."

"R-really?" the young man stammered. "I mean… wow! Thank you so much!"

"Just heed my words, little Yugi, and know that the shadows can be more your allies, than those who masquerade as light."

The teenager blinked his purple-hued eyes, then nodded and left. It wasn't until he had reached the mall exit that he realized he had never told Ishizu his name.

As he walked home Yugi decided to try on his jewelry. Clasping the arm- and wrist- bands over his bare flesh, he giggled at what everyone would think of his costume tomorrow night. There was going to be a big Halloween dance at the school, where everyone was expected to dress up.

Giving in to the urge that was plaguing him, the sixteen-year-old hung his puzzle around his neck. Smiling softly, he sighed at the feeling of contentment wearing it brought him. He felt more… complete, and safe.

            Giggling happily, he began to twirl, humming a nameless tune. His walk gained a bounce and he seemed to be almost floating along. All his troubles were being washed away. The tension in his family, the memories of his father, the trouble he might have with his teacher, his 'problem'… they were all swirling away to the back of his mind.

            The small teen's feeling of euphoria was all but destroyed by a sudden shout.

            "Hey shrimp!"

            _Oh shit._ It was one of his bullies. Quickly glancing over his shoulder, Yugi found there was not just one, but _five_ bullies behind him. _Oh no._

            As fear washed over him, the violet-eyed boy broke into an all out run. He could hear their feet pounding the pavement as they pursued him, jeering. Hot tears began filling his eyes, but he refused to let them cascade down his cheeks. This couldn't happen, he didn't want it! The day had been so perfect; he couldn't handle the pain now. 

Taking a turn he suddenly found himself face to face with a wall. He had stumbled down a blind alley. Twisting around slowly, he watched as the five larger youths blocked the entrance, his only escape.

Yugi continued to fight back the tears, and blocked out their taunting. _Make it go away_, he pleaded, _make it stop._

One of the boys stepped closer and slammed a fist into his cheek, causing him to fall back into a puddle. The water soaked into his pants and bag, which he had refused to drop throughout his flight.

Pain radiated through his cheek and hands, he must have skinned his palms when he fell. Gazing through tear-blurred eyes, he saw the five boys advance, and his heart beat faster. And then… warmth began to spread across his chest, from… the puzzle?

A wave of courage washed over him and the violet-eyed boy glared up at his attackers. Then watched in astonishment as they backed away, then ran in fear. Ran, from _him._

Stunned, he began to slow his breathing, trying to catch his breath. Standing up, he bent over to pick up his soaked bag, noticing his reflection. Yugi froze. There, staring back at him were glowing red eyes, and fangs glinted from his mouth.

Recoiling with a yell, he stared at the puddle. Slowly he peered back into the pool of water, only to see purple eyes and a mouth full of regular old teeth. _What in the world…?_

Badly shaken, he made his way out of the alley.

"Hey, are you alright?" A kind voice with a British accent asked.

"Huh…?" Yugi looked up to see a boy about his age, with long white hair and brown eyes.

"I saw those guys chasing you, and was coming to see if you needed any help," the white-haired boy continued. "But you seem to have dealt with them on your own."

"Yeah…"

The chocolate-eyed teenager peered at the smaller boy. "You don't look so good. Where do you live? I'll escort you home."

The violet-eyed youth was too dazed to be suspicious, and gave his address freely, with some limited directions. His newfound companion glanced around, then draped Yugi's arm over his shoulder to help support him.

"Well, I'm sure I'll be able to find my way there eventually," he mused to the shorter teen. "By the way, I'm Ryou Bakura. I just moved here."

"Yugi Gardner."

Ryou continued to chatter as he helped his new acquaintance home, and Yugi was slowly calmed by the sound of his escort's voice.


	7. Chapter Six

Angel Corrupted

****

Disclaimer: Do I own Yu-Gi-Oh?*checks* No. Do I make profit from this fic? No! Tis all.

A/N: The stuffs continues to be here. AU, possible OOC-ness (they did grow up differently, eh?), bloody stuffs, some swearing… shounen-ai! Yami/Yugi, slight Bakura/Ryou and possible Seto/Joey. Will be using American names (mostly…), as that's the version I get!

There is a high unlikely-ness that there will be lemons in this fic, unless I can sucker one of my friends, Sazza (the yaoi pimp!) and Kitsune Kitana into it. Said peoples are also my beta readers and should be thanked. 

Yugi's school does not exist in Dartmouth and proly N.S., though I'm quite sure another school of the same name exists somewhere else. Please excuse Joey's accent, it comes and goes in my writing…-_-;
    
    YES! It is finally here! The SIXTH CHAPTER OF AC! I think I have some sorta sixth chapter curse. I got stuck on another fic's sixth chapter, too. o_O
    
    Now for some self-advertisement! If you enjoy this story, you may also enjoy the other Yu-Gi-Oh fanfictions I have started! Yami is Life (AU, sci-fi), Banana Fest (AU, involving superpowers and mental institutes), The Mummy: Yaoi Style (mutated version of the movie The Mummy), and the current one-shot story Letting Go. Please check out, read and review!

*scratches head* Tis odd calling Ryou a youth, teenager or boy… 'cause even though he looks young, by human standards he's quite old… Ah well. Oh, and if anyone want to know about demons, angels, their societies, how they fit into _human_ society and such as they are in my fic, just ask, because most of it isn't particularly relevant to the storyline and won't be mentioned even if it is pretty much thought out in my head.

**This chapter is dedicated to my hamster CheeseFuzz. May he rest in peace.**

Chapter Six:

Violet eyes blinked open, staring at the glowing letters of his bedside clock. They read 4:37 AM. Wow, he was up early_._ Though it wasn't that much of a surprise, as after that boy – _Ryou was it?_ – had escorted him home Yugi had bypassed his family, locked himself in his bedroom and gone to sleep.

            And had apparently slept clear through supper to the next day. The teen pondered going back to sleep but thought better of it. He didn't feel like dealing with his parents especially after ignoring them yesterday, things were tense between them as it was because of what had happened Saturday.

            Getting out of bed, he wrinkled his nose. He had completely forgotten to change out of the previous day's clothes. Divesting himself of the offending clothing, Yugi was momentarily startled by something knocking lightly against his chest. Looking down he noticed his puzzle. Had he slept with it on?

            The violet-eyed teenager lifted his hands to remove it, then stopped. Now that he had it on, he really didn't want to take it off. It made him feel protected, safe… But, he didn't want the bullies to take it. Pale hands moved again, only to stop once more. Something deep within him was telling him that that wouldn't happen, that his puzzle wouldn't let it happen.

            Confused, Yugi shrugged and dropped his hands in defeat. It was probably better not to argue with gut instincts, they could save your life after all. So, the gold pyramid would stay on for today, but he still had to get dressed.

            He pulled on underwear, black socks, a pair of black jeans and a sleeveless grey hoodie. His accessories of the day were his new armlets and wristbands and a silver-studded dog collar. Moving to pick up his hairbrush, he remembered the braided condition his hair was currently in and left the grooming apparatus alone.

            Glancing in the mirror, the teenager flinched. A dark bruise spread across one cheek, an ugly reminder of the one hit his bullies had gotten on him. Shit, there was no way he was going to be able to hide_ that_. Usually his tormentors made sure not to hit him where it was visible.

            Groaning, he covered his face with a hand. It would cause too many questions, from Joey and Tristan, the teachers, his family… Ugh, his family. He wondered what his father would make out of a bruise. 

            "What, now you're not only in a gang, Yugi, but getting into fights?" the short boy spat out, imitating the tone his father had used Saturday. "Next thing you'll be killing people in gang wars!"

            He stopped, rethinking what he'd just said, and felt guilty. When had he gotten so bitter? It wasn't like him to act this way towards people who cared for him… At least he _thought_ they cared for him…

            _Gah, stop angsting and pull yourself together man!_ Yugi berated himself. Sighing, he glanced at his reflection, then did a double take. The bruise was gone. Well, not quite gone, but it had faded from blue-black-purple, to yellow-brown, and even now that last bit of color was fading away, leaving pale, flawless skin in its wake.

            He didn't notice the glowing of his puzzle until it had stopped, coincidently at the same exact moment his bruise disappeared. Blinking at the golden pendant, he wondered what the hell was going on. He was beginning to think there was something seriously weird about his puzzle.

            _You mean other than the fact that it was given to you by the man with glowing red eyes and wings who just happened to murder your father? Yeah, other than that it might be just a _bit_ weird…_

_            Shut up you, _Yugi responded to himself.

            …And now he was talking to himself. Great. Oh well, if he was going to be crazy, might as well go the full nine yards… But now it was time to go, he could talk to himself later.

            Creeping quietly downstairs, the teenager wrote a quick note explaining to his parents his early departure. He then nabbed a couple of pieces of bread and a banana from the kitchen, pulled on a pair of mid-calf buckle-up boots and his backpack then left. He walked slowly towards his school, munching on his meager breakfast. He had forgotten to pack a lunch, dammit. He was going to be hungry today.

            It was already fairly warm out and he felt no need for a jacket, so there was no explanation for the sudden shiver that ran up his spine, raising goose bumps on his arms. Following the shiver, the mark on the teen's forehead began to itch, a far throw from the pain felt that weekend. Scratching it idly, he glanced around, almost expecting to see red-eyes glaring out at him from the shadows.

            But there was nothing there. At least nothing he could see, and his puzzle made him feel secure, as though he was completely out of harms way. He liked the feeling. The sensation of content and wholeness he had experienced yesterday was creeping back, and once again his worries washed away.

            Yugi walked the rest of the way to school in peace.

            A shiver ran up Yami's spine, causing the hairs on his arms to stand on end. Had his wings been out, he knew they'd be bristling. Strange, this sensation and the reactions it caused. He could almost feel… something, pulling at the edges of his awareness. Something strangely familiar.

            "Is something wrong, darkling?"

            The dark being turned his gaze to Bakura, replying with a simple "No."

            The iceling raised an eyebrow, then continued walking, Yami keeping pace beside him. The corrupted angel glanced around curiously and asked, "What precisely are we doing?"

            "_I _am helping my kin find the pyros' headquarters. _You _are following me around like a love-sick puppy."

            The shorter man snorted, "Love-sick puppy indeed. If I wanted you, I'd take you and not bother with all this tagging along. This… blood-war between species interests me."

            "Many things seem to interest you, darkling."

            Yami smirked. "When you're as old as I, you learn to keep yourself amused."

            They walked in silence for a moment, before the dark angel once again spoke up, "Why do you think the fire demons _have_ a head quarters? It could just be random immigration."

            "No," Bakura shook his head, "The pyros know this is our territory, and there are way too many arriving now for it to be random. They have to be an organized group, and for pyros to be organized they need a leaders. Leaders need a base of operations to properly communicate with their underlings."  

            Yami nodded in understanding. "So how are you going about this search?"

            "Our youngest-looking members, such as Ryou, are infiltrating schools as students. They are to locate young firelings who are still the age they look and force information from them. Adolescents are much easier to bully and manipulate than adults. We already have clan members scattered throughout many workplaces, and we are contacting other demon-groups for information."

            "And we are doing…?"

            "_I _am going to Halifax to search the streets and clubs and the like. _You_ are probably going to continue stalking me."

            "Right you are," the crimson-eyed man said, grinning. "So… demon hunting we go, hm? Sounds like a 'game' I used to play…"

            Bakura ignored him, and continued to walk along the slowly brightening street.

            He loved it here. It was secluded, peaceful, beautiful.

            Yugi sat upon a branch of a large maple tree at the edges of the Willowbrook school grounds. The specific spot in which he was settled was surrounded in just such a way by branches and leaves, as to make its occupant almost completely invisible from the outside world. Even if you stood directly beneath the teenager, it was that unlikely you'd see him.

            The violet-eyed teen smiled softly as the warmth of the sun filtered down through a canopy of green, his skin greedily absorbing the light and adding to the buzz his puzzle had induced. He could stay here for hours; he _had_ stayed here for hours. He had been resting within the tree's embrace since he had reached the school, and just now were students filtering in onto the grass, ready for a day's learning.

            Yugi was drawn out of his peaceful reverie by a familiar voice from below. Glancing down, he recognized the voice's owner, none other than his blonde friend, Joey Wheeler. The tall teen was soon joined by a second, his other friend, Tristan Taylor.

            The short teen was about to clamber from his perch and make his presence known, when something made him pause. There was a strange look on Joey's face, he seemed… troubled. And apparently Yugi wasn't the only one to notice.

            "Hey Joey, what's wrong?" Tristan inquired.

            "I… it's just…" the blonde teen paused to gather his thoughts. "I'm worried 'bout Yug."

            Worried about him? The braided teenager was puzzled. He was fine, couldn't be happier, why should his friend be worried? Tristan once again echoed his thoughts, "Why are you worried about Yugi? Sure, he zoned out last time I saw him, but it happens to the best of us."

            "Well, you'n me both know 'bout Yugi's… problem," Joey answered. "I always thought it was completely bogus! I mean, really, our Yug crazy? Bu' now… I think I might be startin' to believe it…"

            The pointy-haired brunette blinked. "What do you mean? What happened?"

            "Its like this…" the blonde teen started. "I went to see Yugi on Saturday, t'make sure he was alright…"

            And it all came out, everything Joey had learned about Yugi's past. His abusive father, his father's murder, his _view_ on his father's murder…and murder_er_. His puzzle-high had completely evaporated by the end, leaving annoyance, almost anger. What was Joey doing telling Tristan all this? _He_ hadn't given permission for such an act, and that information was very, _very_ personal!

            But then… the irritation faded away to be replaced by hurt. The small teen felt… betrayed. His friends, the people he thought were his friends anyway, didn't believe in him. They were probably going to leave, and he'd be alone again. Oh well, he was used to being alone.

            The warning bell rang, and the students wandering the school grounds filtered inside to collect their things for class, Joey and Tristan among them. Once they had gone, Yugi slipped from his tree and walked towards the main doors. He was on the way to his locker, when a call stopped him.

            "Yugi! Hey Yugi!" an accented voice rang out.

            Said person turned to find a white-haired youth waving at him. It was that new boy, Ryou Bakura. Was he going to Willowbrook, too? _Well of course_, Yugi berated himself, _why else would he be here?_

            "Hi Ryou!" he greeted the British teenager.

            "How are you doing Yugi? You were pretty out of it when I met you yesterday."

            The violet-eyed boy blushed. "Yeah, I'm fine now, thanks for helping me."

            "It was nothing," Ryou answered. "What class do you have first? Maybe you could repay my kindness by helping me get acquainted with this school?"

            "Art. You?"

            "Same!"

            The two reached Yugi's locker, and the shorter teen grabbed his things, leaving the unnecessary stuff behind. Then they hurried to class, chatting amiably, a happy smile once again gracing the violet-eyed teen's face.

            Maybe he wouldn't be alone.

            The Book of Lives. It wasn't an actual book, despite all rumors to the contrary. What it was is a vast archive, holding information on every single angel that ever lived. To a point anyway, Seto was quite sure that angels had existed previous to the Book of Lives' existence. The Book didn't hold any detailed information, just full names, dates of birth and – if applicable – dates of death, relations, where people lived, genders... Simple things, but perfectly acceptable compared to nothing.

            Of course, there was still the chance that he would end up with nothing, but that was an unlikely event.

            The hall in which you could access the Book of Lives was massive; the floor littered with 'terminals' where people could sit and get access needed information. Then there were at least five stories of balconies, lining the walls with yet more terminals. It was beyond the tall brunette why so many stations were needed, but he supposed it might have something to so with the terminals being connected to the news archives as well as the Book of Lives…

            Useless thoughts. Seto Kaiba continued on his way to his assigned station, having already signed-in. It was a secluded terminal, tucked away in a corner of the hall. Perfect. The blue-eyed angel didn't _know_ if there was anything wrong with what he was looking up, but the denial of his superiors had made him suspicious.

            He flopped down in the plush chair placed before his terminal and set to work. The method of accessing the Book, was ironically enough, a book. A magical book, of course, as corny as that sounded, but still just a book. The warrior angel actually preferred the humans' computer technology to his peoples' method, but what can you do?

            Sighing, Kaiba opened the oversized book to a random page, and waited. Soon letters started to appear on the blank page, slowly spelling out the phrase: _Welcome. Do you wish to access Book of Lives or News Archives?_

            Pulling out a pen (ballpoint, quills were too damn annoying), Seto wrote _Book of Lives _below the sentence. All the words faded away, the page once again becoming blank. The angel strummed his fingers impatiently, what he wouldn't do for a laptop…

            Words finally began to scrawl across the page: _Welcome to the Book of Lives. Please state the parameters of your search_. The sentence was followed by a list, with each word on a separate line. Name, date of birth, date of death, gender, etc. Kaiba only filled in two of the categories – Name: Hikari, Gender: Male.

            The words once again faded out, replaced by the word 'searching'. The angel's fingers once again began their impatient tapping. After a time, names began to appear.

            _Fayn, Hikari_

            _Ishu, Hikari_

            _Ares, Hikari_

_            Sen, Hikari_

_            Shar, Hikari_

_            Kelmaryn, Hikari_

            When the search finished, the list held around fifteen names. The warrior blinked; there certainly weren't many male Hikari's in history. Making a quick note on the page, he requested the dates of birth to be shown. There may not be many names, but he still didn't want to look at them all.

            Seto immediately crossed off the first on the list; the person in question would've been dead long before Yami had first made an appearance. Seto also knocked off most of the ones at the bottom, as he felt they were too recent for the darkling to bother with, all still children or teenagers.

            There were only four choices left. He crossed off the bottom one of the quartet, once again thinking the person to be too young. Three, then. The first was born a decade before Yami had emerged, the next a few years after, the last about 20 years. The last one was also crossed off, the warrior deciding the top two were his best bets.

            Scribbling down a few words with his pen, Kaiba selected the first person, Hikari Ishu. Icy blue eyes scanned the page, searching for any information that might link this Hikari to the fallen one. Not finding anything of particular interest, his eyes traveled back up the piece of paper, alighting on the date of death which he had previously passed over. Only eleven years after he had been born, this person had barely been out of infanthood (by angel standards) when he had died!

            Studying the date more closely, Seto's eyes widened in recognition. It was the same day that the darkling had appeared. He frowned, this wasn't necessarily important, as upon his emergence the fallen one had killed many angels… but a link was clearly there and if this boy was the one Yami had mentioned, it _was_ important somehow.

            Making a query to the book for more information on Hikari Ishu, it responded that there was an illustration available of the subject. Writing that he wished to see it, Kaiba waited as the blank page began to fill with black lines.

            The tall brunette had become frozen in place long before the image was completed and tinted with color. For he had recognized the face – actually, it was more the hair – of this Hikari. It was the darkling. Well, a younger, more innocent version with purple eyes, but the general features were still the same.

            Hikari _was_ Yami.

            "Don't you have a lunch, Yugi?"

            The teenager in question blushed at the query from his newfound friend and shook his head. "I forgot it at home…"

            It was lunchtime, and the violet-eyed boy had returned to his favorite tree, this time with Ryou in tow, and the two were sitting beneath it peacefully.

            "Would you like one of my sandwiches?" the white-haired youth offered. "I always pack extra incase I get especially hungry."

            "Thanks!" Yugi chirped, and took the presented food.

            As the two ate in companionable silence, the demon-in-disguise took a chance to look his friend over. The boy seemed strangely familiar, something about him reminding Ryou of someone else, though he wasn't quite sure whom. After a short scrutiny, the iceling decided it was his hair. The golden, lightning-esque bangs reminded him of Yami, and the teenager's braids, a familiar red-black, added to the comparison.

            It was all very interesting, but the mild similarities were not the most outstanding thing about the small teen. No, it had been something very different and yet linked to the darkling all the same. Brown-tinted eyes drifted to the object of their curiosity, a golden pyramid hanging from around his companion's neck.

            He had noticed the ornament yesterday when he had come to the short youth's aid, but hadn't realized what it might be until later that evening. The Puzzle, Yami's Puzzle. Or what he thought had been Yami's Puzzle, though it was currently in the possession of some seemingly random human. He had decided not to mention his find to anyone until he had determined whether or not the pyramid really _was _the darkling's Puzzle.

            "That's an interesting bit of jewelry you have there," the iceling commented.

            "Huh?" the short teen looked up from his borrowed lunch, one hand rising to touch the gold pendant. "Oh, yeah…"

            The demon frowned mentally, having hoped for more information. Maybe if he offered some info of his own the child would be more open…? 

"It reminds me of my own little trinket," Ryou said, pulling at a cord around his neck, drawing a large gold ring from beneath his shirt. A triangle rested in the center of the loop holding an eye that resembled the one on Yugi's Puzzle, and several pointed baubles dangled from the bottom edge.

The sixteen-year-old's eyes widened, and one of his hands twitched as if wanting to touch the golden ornament. "Wow," he spoke. "It's so… pretty."

"It is very precious to me, a gift from someone very special," the iceling told his friend, smiling. Bakura had given him the ring to signify their bond, his mate holding an identical piece of jewelry.

"My puzzle is precious to me, too," Yugi spoke softy.

It was, was it? Did the boy have any clue as to what it might be, how much power it might hold? "Oh? Where did you get it?"

"It was given to me when I was very small… I didn't know the person very well, not at all, really… but they saved me and now it makes me feel safe."

Ryou tried to puzzle out that tidbit of information, so the boy had been rescued by a stranger? Saved from what? Could it have been Yami who saved him? Strange, the darkling had never seemed like the heroic type. 

"May I touch it?" The iceling blinked, the question having slipped out without thought.

"I… I guess," Yugi replied, nervousness tingeing his voice.

A slender hand unfurled, reaching out, fingertips barely brushing the surface of the Puzzle. But it was enough. Shadows, cold, pain, heat, nothingness, everything, _power_. The ice demon jolted away, as though shocked and struggled to cover his reaction. Oh yes, it was _definitely_ the Puzzle, no other object could hold such… darkness. He would tell Bakura and Yami about it that night.

            So far they had found nothing. As stupid as fire demons were, in his opinion, they seemed to be very good at avoiding people. Yami smirked, yes, they must be very good, for even _he_ hadn't noticed any. The darkling stopped, until now anyway.

            "Hey iceling," the dark angel spoke, catching Bakura's attention. "I think I found one."

            "Where?" the ice demon demanded.

            The darkling nodded towards a dark alley, where a shock of bright red hair could just be seen peeking from the shadows. The taller man smirked, and the pair moved towards the crack between buildings.

            The pyro was a mousy little thing, with limp hair, freckles and shockingly yellow eyes. Apparently he had stopped to give his eyes a rest from a pair of grey-tinted contact lenses, and was standing in the secluded passageway. At least, he _was_ standing until Bakura slammed him into the wall.

            "Hello, little one," the iceling said, smirking sinisterly.

            "Wh-what do ya want, frosty?" the fire demon stuttered, using the nickname for ice demons.

            "What do you think, you pathetic excuse for a flameling?" the white-haired man snarled. "Your kind is invading the territory of _mine_ and it will not be stood for!"

            "H-hey, I don' got nuthin' to do wit that, yo," the mousy demon replied. "I'm a rogue pyro, man, I dun' belong to no clan, ya?"

            "Hn, it doesn't matter to me," Bakura stated. "You may not be attached to the rest of your race, but I'm sure you still know of them, and information is what I'm looking for."

            The flame-haired male's eyes hardened, and for a moment he seemed almost brave. "Hey, man. I may be unattached, but I ain't no rat, yo. Why should you get anythin' outta me?"

            "Because if you don't I'll…" the iceling though for a moment, then smirked again. "I'll let my 'friend' here have a go at you."

            The flameling's eyes followed the gesturing of Bakura's head, and he noticed Yami for the first time.

            "Surely you've heard of the darkling, the fallen angel? Or perhaps you know him as Prince of Shadows?"

            Yami blinked, was that what they were calling him now?

            The pyro looked ready to soil himself in fear as he stared into the blood colored eyes of the corrupted one. The once angel shook off his mildly startled look, replacing it with a feral grin.

            "O-okay, man! I'll talk, yo!" the mousy man squeaked. "I-I dunno much, ya? But… but I heard someone sayin' somethin' about the docks. I don' know any more! They don' talk ta me, yo."

            "Fine." Bakura let the fire demon drop and turned away. "He's all yours, darkling."

            Yami didn't give the flameling a chance to scream. It had been awhile since he'd had such fun.

            The door to Yugi's house burst open, and a call rang through the house. "I'm home! Sorry I'm late, but I walked home with my friends and one of them had a detention!"

            Yes, he walked home with his friend_s_. Before the lunch break ended Joey and Tristan had shown up to join him. He'd introduced them to Ryou, and the four of them had spent the rest of the break talking happily. It was almost as if that morning had never happened! The rest of the day had passed quickly enough, his English teacher, thankfully, seeming to have forgotten his little zoning out incident the previous week. The best part of it all though was that the Halloween dance was tonight! He couldn't wait to show off his costume.

            As he put down his backpack and unbuckled his boots, the teenager planned his night. He supposed he'd stay at home long enough to have supper, but after that he was to meet with his friends at Joey's house and they'd go to the dance together. Unfortunately, Ryou had declined, saying he had made previous plans.

            A growl from his stomach brought Yugi from his thoughts, alerting him that Ryou's shared lunch was _not_ enough to last him until supper. Grinning happily, he all but skipped into the kitchen to grab a snack.

            …Only to have the smile wiped from his face. "Mom? Dad? Is something wrong?"

            His parents exchanged looks from their place at the table. His mother sighed, looking sad and stared at her clasped hands. Gazing at Yugi grimly, his father said four words that made the teenager cringe inwardly.

            "Yugi… we need to talk."

            It was only 4:50 when Yugi Gardner showed up at Joey Wheeler's door, looking disgruntled. Standing there with his costume in hand, he had refused to meet his friend's eyes as the older boy waited for the reason behind his early arrival. The violet-eyed boy had given none.

            When asked what was wrong, he simply replied, "I'd rather not talk about it."

            Joey had decided to leave it alone and invited Yugi in. Now it was 5:30, and the two of them were quietly having a small meal of mac'n cheese and coke. There wasn't much else in the house, he would have to go shopping soon. He knew his dad wouldn't.

            He wasn't sure where his dad was, but that wasn't anything new. The man was barely ever home, and when he was he was sleeping. Not that he cared or anything, he could take care of himself, and in a few years he'd be free of his father and could seek out a better life. Besides, better that his old man ignored him than beat him… like Yugi's had.

            Joey winced at that thought, he'd rather not think about his friend's dad, or what had become of him. About the way Yugi reacted to it… To tell the truth, it kind of scared him, _Yugi_ had scared him, and you weren't supposed to be afraid of you friends. Especially sweet, little ones like Yug'. Which is why he'd rather not think about it.

            "Hey Yug'," Joey spoke up, needing something to distract him from bad thoughts. "How's 'bout we play some games on my X-box, 'til Tristan gets here."

            "Okay…" the smaller boy answered, his expression looking lighter. "But I'm not very good, you know."

            "Ah, that's okay, bud!" the blonde teen answered, a goofy grin spreading across his face. "I'll teach'ya!"

             And as if in answer to Joey's smile, a smaller one appeared on Yugi's.

            Ryou was lounging in a chair reading the day's paper when heard the apartment door open. It was a nice, two-bedroom apartment, though a bit small for his tastes, but the ice demon supposed it was the best the local icelings could come up with on short notice. He turned his head as familiar footsteps moved towards him, waiting for a kiss.

            Bakura did not disappoint his mate, and pressed his mouth to waiting lips. Drawing the smaller demon into his arms, he took Ryou's place, depositing the iceling in his lap.

            "Hello Bakura," Ryou greeted, then glanced at the apartment's third occupant. "Yami. How was your day?"

            The larger ice demon snorted. "The pyros were hiding, we didn't find much. Though we _did_ manage to catch some spineless rogue flameling, and he mentioned something about the docks. Hell! These cities edge a bloody harbor, that isn't much to go on!"

            "Well, at least you found something."

            Bakura merely made a disgruntled noise, "What about you? Any luck?"

            "Nothing to do with pyros," Ryou replied. "Though I did make a rather interesting discovery…"

            "Oh?" his mate queried.

            "Yes," the iceling continued. "I saw the Puzzle."

            Yami, who had been lazing on the couch, bolted upright. "What?!"

            "There's a boy at my school – met him yesterday – and he has the Puzzle."

            The darkling looked stunned. "Are you sure? What does he look like? Are his eyes violet?"

            Thoughts were racing through the dark angel's head, the Puzzle couldn't be here could it? He had left it in Japan, _surely_ the boy couldn't be _here_. Why the hell would he be in Nova Scotia? In _Canada_ even!

            "Yes, I'm quite sure," Ryou responded, "And… yes, his eyes _are_ violet…"

            "Fuck!" It had to be him, how many violet-eyed boys with gold pyramid puzzles could there be in the world? And he'd be about the right age, if he went to school with Ryou… _Shitshitshit!_ If the angel warriors followed him here… if they found the boy… The kid was in danger, _he_ was in danger! That Puzzle was his life! He had to find him.

            "Where does he live?!" Yami demanded.

            Confused, Ryou told him, and before anyone could say a thing the darkling was out the door and gone.

            "Is everybody ready?" Joey asked, fixing the collar of his cape. He was dressed as a vampire, black clothing, plastic fangs and fake nails all the way.

            "All good here!" Tristan answered. The brown-haired boy had chosen a Frankenstein costume. Both turned to the last, but undoubtedly best-dressed, member of the trio.

            "Ready to go!" Yugi added, smiling in a slightly uncomfortable way. He was resplendently costumed as an ancient Eqyptian.

            "Sumthin' wrong Yug'?"

            "N-nothing!" the smallest teen stuttered, red tingeing his cheeks. There was no way he was going to tell his friends that he was wearing a thong… He wasn't exactly sure _why _he had bought a white thong to wear with his costume, but it had seemed like a good idea at the time.

            "If yout say so," said Joey. "But are ya sure you won' be cold without a shirt?"

            "I'll be fine!" the short teenager replied, slightly exasperated.

            "Okay den! Let's go."

            The trio set off for the high school, walking as none of them had either a driver's license or a car. Yugi had been right, it _was_ warm enough for him to be fine in his rather baring outfit. Though the slight breeze on his buttocks was something he'd have to get used to.

            They were almost halfway there when a sudden chill ran up Yugi's spine. He stopped walking as the mark on his forehead began to itch, then throb lightly. His friends continued on without him, not seeming to notice he absence. As they walked out of sight, he shivered at the feeling of eyes on the back of his neck. Steeling himself, he turned around.

            And gasped. It was _him._

            …and _damn_, if he was not the _god_ of black leather. A dark blush crept over the teenager's face as his violet eyes met oh-so-familiar crimson ones. It was him, his father's murderer, his savior… Suddenly a great feeling of gratitude welled up within him and he darted forward.

            Yami's eyes widened as the boy attached himself to his chest. Whatever he had been expecting, it was not _this_. He stared down at the braided head of the young human to whom he had gifted his Puzzle. The boy spoke, voice muffled from being pressed against his chest, muttering two words.

            "Thank you."


	8. Bloopers!

Yes yes! I know this is not the actual next chapter of Angel Corrupted! I'm sorry, I really am! I've been trying to get it done… tis at least halfway complete… but I am suffering some serious muse-death here. I suppose I've been a bit due for a crash though… meh! I'll try and get it done ASAP. For now, enjoy this collection of blooper type things for all of AC's current chapters. It is to be noted that almost all of these are the creation of my luff, Sazza the Yaoi Pimp. You should go read her fics, ff.net name yaoipimp. Go!  

Thankies mucho to my wonderific reviewers: Wolfspeaker1, crystalphoenix3, Sarah, Angel Reaper, Evil Chibi Malik (Mm…Pixy stick…flavored sugar…mwahahah!), Rindi, Nezumi & Lylli Riddle, Maryna, Kajita (Its not gonna stay braided, dun' worry. ^_^), JuliTina (Dude, I love EVERYTHING in a review 'cept non-constructive criticism. The more info and feedback the better! ^_^), RaevenWynter (Definitely ishn't end), Dark, IceZephyrGirl, Kara Crane, ZeriamSlayer, Tuulikki, dark_light18b, Kaze, Lady Phoenix Slytherin, Senpoo, Charmeleon, Shi Tsukino (you'd have to ask Yugi *snickers*), Donella, shadow/phantomness (Depends, which elements do ya wanna borrow?), chrispy, Shinigami (For most of those questions… you'll see! Both Makky's will appear, and I'm not sure if I'll have Seto/Joey, it might not work in), dgg (I wouldn't hold your breath on the lemons. You might asphyxiate) and anyone else I missed/forgot! And sorry for any misspelled names.

These are for the most part in order… So relax, enjoy and… CONGA!

****

**Angel Corrupted ****Bloopers!**

****

_Prologue:_

      "Have you not been watching?" the first council member snapped, "The humans are calling upon powers far beyond their own. Strange, dark powers that they have not the skill to control. If these powers grow out of control, they will be able to harm us. They must be stopped."

One Angel gasped. "You mean..."

The other councilor spoke.

"Yes, the Backstreet Boys have reformed."

~*~

"But how sir?"

The Lead Councilor smirked. "I know just the right ritual for the job."

He pulled out some grass skirts and shakers. "CONGA!"

~*~

A council member walked up to him. "You are certain this will work, sir?"

"Of course it will work!" the Lead Councilor snapped. "You would question your leader?"

"Do you want the nice answer or the truth?"****

~*~

 "H-how can you be alive?" the old angel stuttered. "The ritual said the sacrifice would die!"

"Oh, but I _am_ dead." A cruel voice emanated from the child's lips. "Hikari is gone."

"But you are Hikari!"

The transformed boy tut-tutted, "No, Hikari is very much dead. You may call me…Yami."

With a single jerk of his limbs… nothing happened. Yami strained the against chains, "Nerg- stupid… industrial strength… chains…gah!"

_Chapter 1:_

He sits, high upon a building, hidden within the shadows cast by the moon. Mild interest reflects in crimson orbs as they watch a gang fight going on below. He was judging their skills, hoping they'd be able to put up at least a little fight as he killed them. It was much more amusing that way.

At that moment, one of the tiles slipped, sending the dark angel crashing to the ground, promptly silencing the fight as he landed on two of the fighters.

Standing up and looking sheepish, Yami stated one thing to cover his embarrassment: "That was deliberate!"

~*~

Eye twitching slightly, the dark angel growled. How dare they try and ruin his fun? He'd been doing the same thing for thousands of years, and no real harm had come of it. He had been using protection had he not?!

~*~

Speaking of fighting… ruby eyes again focused on the brawl occurring in the alley below. The side with the black bandanas appeared to have won, finishing off the remnants of the skull-tattooed fighters. The devious smirk reappeared.

It was time.

"CONGA!"

~*~

The gang snapped into a fighting stance at the sound of the smooth, dark voice. Glancing around, Sorota pinpointed it to a stranger standing in the shadows. Darkness shrouded most of the figure, only showing glimpses of red and gold hair and glints of silver.

"Who the hell are you?" the gang leader snapped.

"I am… BILL GATES!"

Sorota cowers in fear. "NO! NOT BILL GATES! I swear! I'll never haxx0rz again! I promise!"

~*~

Chuckling to himself, Yami made his way back to the rooftops. Having sated his desire for blood, the dark angel resigned himself to another night of wandering around searching for something to amuse him.

"KAREOKE TIIIIIIME!"

~*~

It couldn't be Daddy, it couldn't. Daddy didn't come home for another thirty minutes or so. Trying to stay calm, Yugi grabbed the spaghetti and was about to climb off the stool.

Then the door slammed open.

A guy in courier's clothing stood there. "Telegram for Mr. Mutou!"****

~*~

A small boy who looked no more than six or seven was straining across a countertop to reach what appeared to be a box of spaghetti. Of course, it wasn't the scene that had stunned him, but the boy. The child looked astonishingly like himself.

"I shall call him… Minime!"

~*~

After closer study, the dark angel concluded that the only real similarity was the shock of multicolored hair decorating the boy's head. The child was too young to draw further parallels, except maybe with eyes, but the innocent violet orbs the boy possessed were far different from his own.

A pause.

"...Is that eyeliner...?"

~*~

Standing over a bed of glass shards was Yami, in all his leather-bound glory. Large black wings arched majestically over his head and his ruby eyes simmered dangerously. An aura of dark power seemed to emanate from the dark angel, making him more menacing than he already was.

Until he doubled over and clutched his face. "Ow! Holy shit, my eye! I got a piece of glass in my fucking eye!"

"My virgin ears!" Yugi wailed.

~*~

Turning towards the couch, crimson eyes met with wide violet ones. For long moments the two could not break their gaze, and something resting deep within the dark man stirred.

Yami stared down at his crotch, cheeks growing red. "Well shit."

~*~

Kneeling in front of the seven-year-old, he pulled the Puzzle from his neck, and hung the golden ornament around Yugi's.

Yugi stared at the Puzzle.

"But Mr. Darcy! I'm not old enough for proposals!"

~*~

"Keep it safe," he uttered quietly, then placed a bloody kiss upon the young boy's forehead.

Yarik and Marik leap into room and strike poses. Music plays, "Go, go Shota Rangers!"

_Chapter 2:_

A sigh broke the silence of the room. Yugi lay sprawled across a couch, staring up at the ceiling. The same boring white ceiling he'd been seeing several times every week for the past four years. The couch on the other hand was new.

A very nice turquoise. It did however, clash with the rest of the room in a terrible way.

~*~

Rolling onto his stomach the sixteen-year-old glared at the door. Dr. Jones was late. You weren't supposed to keep potentially crazy people waiting. 

He stroked a nearby object.

"Isn't that right, preciousssss.....?"

~*~

"You're late," Yugi informed the man, violet eyes peering over the arm of the couch.

Letting his eyes drift over the man he added, "You look terrible."

~*~

"Have you been having any trouble in school?"

"The fire wasn't my fault! The leprechaun made me do it!"

"...."

"...What?"

~*~

"Do you mean like hallucinations or ghosts?" That dream about a person concealed in shadows…

Dr. Jones gave him an impatient stare.

"No." A person with eyes that glowed crimson…dancing around a pole...

~*~

People didn't seem to like having a potential psycho as a child…

Those fires were the leprechauns dammit!

~*~

Yugi looked around, seeing nothing in the darkness surrounding him. It was the dream again… Without his permission the teen's body began to run from some unseen threat. It was always the same.

First he would run, and then… He screamed out as cold, invisible hands grabbed him from behind.

"CONGA!"

~*~

Yugi bolted upright as a loud beeping ripped him out of the dream state. Flailing wildly he managed to both knock the alarm clock off his dresser, shutting it off, and get extremely tangled in his sheets. Loosing his balance the teen fell from the bed with a thud.

"Well shit."

~*~

If you looked even closer you'd realize the spot of color was shaped like lips, as if someone had placed a permanent kiss on the young man's forehead.

Yarik and Marik do cartwheels past the window. Music plays. "Go go Shota Rangers!"****

_Chapter 3:_

"Maybe you give it too much credit, old man. Now where. Is. It?"

The elder Angel sighed. "The video is in the drawer, 4 men on one, it's gonna break you kid..."

"I can take it..." Seto whispered evilly, eyes glowing as he stared at the innocent looking video.****

~*~

Pulling himself out of the past, Yugi continued eating, chatting amiably with his friends until the bell rang and the Headmasters voice rang over the intercom.

"CONGA!"

~*~

People filed in through the door, taking seats for the last class of the day. This was the one class Yugi had with both Tristan and Joey, and the three of them had claimed a corner, which they unfortunately had to share with another boy. There was nothing wrong with sharing the corner… but Marik was freakin' scary sometimes.

Said bishounen promptly giggled and muttered to himself.

"Yes, they tried to separate us from the preciousss… but we'll kills them before that happens, won't we, my love?"

Yugi raised an eyebrow, Marik having just proved his point. "Wait… you're not supposed to be in this scene!"

Marik glares and skulks off. "Nasty little midgetses…"

~*~

"The only way to identify a killing as a Sennen Murder is by the same 'calling card' that gave them their name."

"They left a card with a cell phone number, email and name?" One girl asked.

"Yes!" Marik said, cackling madly, stopping exactly a second later.

Liona stalks in. "Dammit Marik, stay out of the bloody scene!"

~*~

She was still stunned as the bell rang, and was too late to say anything as Yugi grabbed his things and bolted out the door.

"It was the leprechauns!" he shouted.

~*~

If it did hit someone would it kill them? Or simply injure them? Or maybe damage them for life?

Toss.

"Oops." Yami peers over the edge of the building where he dropped his dagger. "Sorry! …Guess that solves that question…"

_Chapter 4:_

A deeply saddened look crossed Mrs. Gardner's face. The boy (though he wasn't really a boy anymore, was he?) had gone straight up to his room after arriving home and hadn't left it since.

"Is there anything you want?" She asked.

"...A tissue?"

"……"

~*~

Yugi shivered, wrapping his blankets closer around his body. He had fallen back into a near trance, that scene flashing over and over again in his mind. The dagger, the blood, the Eye, pale flesh, dead eyes, burning red eyes, shiny poles, slow music...

~*~

It was the dark again. But…the dream felt different this time, unfamiliar. Yugi spun around, confused. The dream had always been the same, what was he supposed to do now that it had changed?

CONGA!

~*~

The violet-eyed teen was brought out of his food trance by a knock on the door. Looking up, he saw Joey peek in.

Yugi screamed.

Joey screamed.

Yugi screamed.

Joey screamed.

Yugi finally mustered up enough sense to cover himself.

~*~

Two demons and a corrupted angel were sitting on a building throwing pebbles at the stupid mortals strolling back and forth across the street. Well, Yami and Bakura were, Ryou had politely declined. 

"Ten points if you hit an old person!"

"Fifteen if you hit anything under 10!"

"TWENTY POINTS FOR THE ONE WHO HITS THE BABY!"

"Calm down, children..." Ryou sighed.

Chapter 5 

Tea burst into Yugi's room, followed closely by her parent's. They had been torn from their sleep by a sudden scream, which they then realized was coming from the adopted boy. 

The family gasped as they saw their very naked son sat atop the groin of a very naked looking man.

"I'm Yami and I'm NOT taking advantage of your son..." the man on the bed shouted, then looked shifty. "Really!"

~*~

"Was is that?" Tea questioned, staring in mild disgust at the crimson welt.

Yugi blinked. "'Was is that?'"

"I said 'What is that'..." replied Tea.

"No, you said 'Was'," Yugi stated.

His family sweatdropped at the fact that, upon shown bad grammar, Yugi was able to ignore burning agony.

~*~

"Birthmarks don't just look like lip-prints," the man of the household stated. "That thing is more like a tattoo…or a brand of some sort. Are you doing something we don't know about, Yugi?"

"IT WAS THE LEPRACHAUNS!"

~*~

"I'm serious! Don't lie to me Yugi. Are you in a gang? Or… or some sort of cult?" The man's eyes expanded in sudden comprehension. "Are you a part of that Sennen cult?"

Yugi gives up, and says in a deadpan voice, "Yes, I am now a trained killer. I BITE PEOPLES KNEES OFF!"

~*~

"Stop that right now!" Mrs. Gardner shouted. "Can't you see you're scaring our children?! I am appalled by your behavior, out of this room. Now!"

Bakura shouts out "THINK OF THE CHIIIILDREEEN!"

"Hush!" Ryou says, smacking him.

~*~

"Out. Now," the teenager's mother repeated firmly. "I am going to comfort our son, while you sit in the corner and think about what you've done!"

~*~

The glass in Seto's hand cracked under the force of his fisted appendage, spilling its contents over the table.

"GAH! SOMEONE FETCH SOME TWEEZERS!"

Yami can be heard laughing in the background.

~*~

Glaring icily at the three old angels, Seto turned on his heel and left.

The angels waited until the doors closed before leaping from their seats.

"CONGA!"

~*~

Glaring icily at the three old angels, Seto turned on his heal and left, promptly breaking into accusatory song.

"Liar! Liar! Your bum's on fire! Your hair sticks up like a telephone wire!"

~*~

There, staring back at him were glowing red eyes, and fangs glinted from his mouth.

Yugi screamed.

"I'VE TURNED INTO DRACULA!"

~*~

"Hey, are you alright?" A kind voice with a British accent asked.

"Huh…?" Yugi looked up to see a boy about his age, with long white hair and brown eyes.

"I said, do you have any grey poupon?"

Chapter 6 

The violet-eyed teenager lifted his hands to remove it, then stopped. Now that he had it on, he really didn't want to take it off. It made him feel protected, safe… But, he didn't want the bullies to take it. Pale hands moved again, only to stop once more. Something deep within him was telling him that that wouldn't happen, that his puzzle wouldn't let it happen.

"Damn right!" yelled the Puzzle.

Yugi faints.

~*~

Glancing in the mirror, the teenager flinched. A dark bruise spread across one cheek, an ugly reminder of the one hit his bullies had gotten on him. Shit, there was no way he was going to be able to hide that.

Unless...

"SAILOR POWER! MAKEUP!"

~*~

He didn't notice the glowing of his puzzle until it had stopped, coincidently at the same exact moment his bruise disappeared. Blinking at the golden pendant, he wondered what the hell was going on. He was beginning to think there was something seriously weird about his puzzle.

"You're just NOW guessing?!" the Puzzle shouted.

~*~****

Yami smirked. "When you're as old as I, you learn to keep yourself amused."

"Viagra and all, eh?" Bakura asked, snickering.

"HUSH!" Yami answered, smacking the iceling upside the head.

~*~

He hadn't given permission for such an act, and that information was very, very personal!

Yugi promptly leapt out of the tree and landed on Joey in a move that would make most wrestlers proud.

Tristan yelled, "That'll teach you to gossip!"

~*~

Sighing, Kaiba opened the oversized book to a random page, and waited. When suddenly, a gnarled and pointy stick was shoved in his face.

Looking up, he glared at the...human...boy...?

"Voldemort! I will not let you learn the secrets from this book!"

"Wrong fandom, kid," Seto replied calmly, pushing the boy away and going back to the book.

~*~

And as if in answer to Joey's smile, a smaller one appeared on Yugi's.

"One more thing, it'll definitely make you feel better!" Joey stated.

"Hm?"

"CONGA!"

~*~

Yami's eyes widened as the boy attached himself to his chest. Whatever he had been expecting, it was not this. He stared down at the braided head of the young human to whom he had gifted his Puzzle. The boy spoke, voice muffled from being pressed against his chest, muttering two words.

"Thank you."

Yami looked shiftily around for a few moments before lightly hugging the boy, slowly sliding one of his hands downwards.


	9. Chapter 7, Part One

Angel Corrupted

****

Disclaimer: *sighs* Do bananas mated with pistachios create Lemon Figs? No? Then Yu-Gi-Oh is not mine.

A/N: Stuffs! It's still stuffs! AU, possible OOC-ness (they did grow up differently, eh?), bloody stuffs, some swearing…shounen-ai! Yami/Yugi, slight Bakura/Ryou and possible Seto/Joey. Will be using American names (mostly…), as that's the version I get!

Yugi's school does not exist in Dartmouth and proly N.S., though I'm quite sure another school of the same name exists somewhere else. Please excuse Joey's accent, it comes and goes in my writing…-_-;

Thankies mucho to my wonderific reviewers, you are all much luffed! 

Now for some self-advertisement! If you enjoy this story, you may also enjoy the other Yu-Gi-Oh fanfictions I have started! Yami is Life (AU, sci-fi), Banana Fest (AU, involving superpowers and mental institutes), and The Mummy: Yaoi Style (mutated version of the movie The Mummy). Please check out, read and review!

*sigh* Well, wouldn't you have, couldn't even manage to finish this chapter yet… It's quite sad really, but I present to you the first two finished scenes of Angel Corrupted Chapter 7! I really wish I could give you more… but I have _seriously_ hit a slump. I think it's because I don't really like a lot of things in the previous chapters. I'm not going to start rewriting 'til I finish this version though. This way I'll be able to understand everything I want in the story and redo it accordingly. Unlike most of my other stories, which I'm just, gonna plain scrap and rewrite when I get my muse back.

Also, you will all WORSHIP my luffling hikari/yami-person, Sazza the Yaoi Pimp. For without her this chapter would like… not even exist to this point. In thanks you can read her fics and review them, her ff.net account name is YaoiPimp. Go! …after reading this chappie. ^_^

If 'e have any questions, feel free ta ask 'em! ^_^

Chapter Seven:

Yami stared in confusion at the human who was hugging him tightly. The boy had… thanked him? Thanked _him_? It certainly hadn't been what he'd been expecting, though what he _had_ been wasn't exactly clear… Maybe cries of "Who are you?" or "What are you?", running away screaming, maybe no recognition at all… but a hug and thank you? It was very… surprising.

Face buried in the darkling's leather shirt, the little human began to tremble slightly, causing his braids to dance. The taller man's brow furrowed and he gently placed a hand on the boy's head, causing him to look up. Yami was surprised to see tears gathering in his large violet eyes.

"What is wrong, little one?" he asked, voiced uncharacteristically soft. Gazing deep into those sparkling pools of amethyst made him feel things he had never felt before. He wanted to protect this human child, keep him safe, untainted, happy…

"I-I…it's nothing…" the fair-skinned teenager stuttered, sniffing slightly. "I mean it's all just a bit… a bit overwhelming… I- you-"

The boy hiccoughed, and buried his face in Yami's chest once again. "You saved me…"

The corrupted being blinked, and wrapped his arms around the smaller form, strangely comfortable with a person he had only met once before. "I… suppose I did."

"I kept my- your puzzle safe…" the teenager murmured softly.

The taller man merely nodded, the importance of the Puzzle seeming considerably less now that he had the boy in his arms. What was it about this child that made him feel this way? He had never really cared for another being, always looking out for number one… but this human felt just as important – perhaps more so? – than himself. A small giggle drew him from his thoughts.

"Here… I am. Hugging a guy who I barely remember that murdered my father when I was a child…" The teenager smiled shyly up at Yami, a few tears still glittering in his eyes. "I don't even know your name…"

"My name is Yami," the darkling stated. "And yours little one?"

"Yugi. Yugi Gardner," the violet-eyed boy answered.

The two continued to stand in silence in the street, warm night air lightly wafting about them. The quiet was broken as a group of small children came around the corner, decked out in all manner of costumes, laughing and yelling. Human and dark angel jolted away from each other as the kid's ran past, the fading blush on Yugi's cheeks returning full-force.

"I'm sure you have plenty of questions for me," Yami spoke after another moment of silence. 

The short boy nodded in agreement, thousands of questions racing through his head. Why had Yami saved him, who was he, _what_ was he, why had he been given the puzzle, why did he kill people…?

Glancing around the corrupted being continued, "I'd rather not stay out here. I know this… place. We can go there to talk."

"Okay…" Yugi concurred, feeling a strange lack of nervousness about going to who knows where with a near complete stranger.

"…and what are you _wearing_?" the fallen angel asked, smirking.

"I'm an Egyptian!" the human boy shouted indignantly. "It's Halloween, you know!"

Yami gave a deep chuckle that caused pleasant shivers to run up and down Yugi's spine. "I wasn't criticizing," the darkling consoled, leering playfully. "I quite like it. Very revealing."

The teenager's face flared hotly at the comment, and his mouth worked silently, at a loss for words. The fallen angel let out another chuckle, then took the boy's arm, leading him off to their destination.

Mokuba strolled through the hallways, shuffling papers in his hands as he sought out his older brother. He was stuck again on the question of heaven, or rather what it was exactly. 

Searching throughout the mansion, he came across empty room after empty room, before sighing and realizing he would only find Seto in one place. His study.

His brother didn't like to be disturbed there, of course he made exceptions for Mokuba, but it usually meant he was concentrating. He headed towards the room, trying to think of a way to get Seto to help him with his homework without interrupting his work badly.

But he'd been working non-stop for so long, he needed a break!

With this, Mokuba grit his teeth in what almost passed for a look of determination, although the pout softened its affect. Stopping before the wooden doors, he took a deep breath and pushed them open, pausing to watch his brother for a few moments.

He was staring intently at his laptop with a frown, fingers clicking away over the keys.

"Seto?"

His elder brothers eyes shifted to him, questioning look on his face as he paused in his typing. "What is it, Mokuba?"

The young angel rubbed his head sheepishly. "I know you've explained it to me before, but I can never remember what Heaven is, and we're doing a project in school…"

Seto sighed quietly, and Mokuba hurriedly added, "If you're not too busy, that is."

"No, it's alright, Mokuba," the brown-haired angel said, shutting down his computer and folding down the screen before Mokuba could catch what was on it. "I'm not doing anything important."

"Heaven is a pocket dimension, created in the far past by the archangels to escape the surface Earth," Kaiba explained. "It is an area of space-time that coexists at the same place and time as another point on Earth without overlapping. The current area of Heaven is nowhere near as large as the surface of the Earth but can continue to expand inde-"

The tall warrior stopped suddenly.

"Big brother? What's wrong?" Mokuba questioned.

"Quiet!" 

Mokuba fell silent, his brother never spoke to him like that unless it was urgent.

Several seconds passed, Seto's eyes facing the side, his head tilting slightly. Mokuba held his breath until the brown haired angel relaxed again.

"Nothing, Mokuba. I thought I..." Seto stopped again, head tilting, eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Mokuba, come with me." Standing, Seto reached for his laptop and took a blinking Mokuba's hand before leading him out of the study and towards the rear of the house.

 "Wha-? But Seto! Whats going on?" Mokuba cried.

"I think we may be in a bit of trouble." 

Mokuba watched as his brother's eyes narrowed, fear knotting in his stomach. 

They reached the rear exit, and Mokuba felt Seto's hand push him behind as he opened the doors and peered about. A second later, he was led into the hedge garden, darting faster than any human – and most angels – could, as he followed his brother through the maze.

"Seto…?"

A quick shush was his only reply, Mokuba falling silent instantly again as he kept up with his brother. He'd find out soon enough no doubt, but this was scary.

He was suddenly pulled into a hollow under a particularly bushy plant, finding himself pressed up against his brother. He didn't make a noise, becoming silently thankful seconds later when a pair of camouflaged legs passed through his field of vision. Mokuba watched and listened fearfully as the stranger passed, before finding himself pulled to his feet and running with his brother again as they dashed off their property.

Eventually Seto spoke.

"It looks like you'll be getting that trip to Earth you wanted."

Behind them, their house exploded.


	10. Chapter 7, Part Two

Angel Corrupted

****

Disclaimer: *sighs* Do bananas mated with pistachios create Lemon Figs? No? Then Yu-Gi-Oh is not mine.

A/N: Stuffs! It's still stuffs! AU, possible OOC-ness (they did grow up differently, eh?), bloody stuffs, some swearing…shounen-ai! Yami/Yugi, slight Bakura/Ryou and possible Seto/Joey. Will be using American names (mostly…), as that's the version I get!

Yugi's school does not exist in Dartmouth and proly N.S., though I'm quite sure another school of the same name exists somewhere else. Please excuse Joey's accent, it comes and goes in my writing…-_-;

And the Thank-you Award goes to: Miami-chan, someoneyoudontknow, ^o^, Angel Reaper ('cause otherwise Mokuba would've gone up with him? Heh, nuu. And I shall pass the messenger along, myself generally helping along as she writes… and vice versa!), Charmeleon (Hope it lives up to your expectations, ya!), Hikari no Mayonaka (Nothin' wrong with being a perv!), shadow-demon18b, TheShadowPanther (…you know, I was _sure_ I mentioned him actually _hearing_ footsteps… oops. O_o;;), Mel Gods (The fact that he was on the track of discovering the true origins of Yami is a big thing, you know how governments can be with mistakes… and that was a _big_ mistake. *snickers* But don'tcha know? They used _foot_soldiers to attack! *cough* Horrible pun… and hey yo, the fic does say YxY shounen-ai, aa? ^_^), and anyone else I forgot and those who reviewed the Bloopers. Apologies for gross misspellings (or small ones) of anyone's name. Such misspellings are now called younds, after the grossest misspelling of 'wrong' ever. Yound… *snerk* 

Now for some self-advertisement! If you enjoy this story, you may also enjoy the other Yu-Gi-Oh fanfictions I have started! Yami is Life (AU, sci-fi), Banana Fest (AU, involving superpowers and mental institutes), and The Mummy: Yaoi Style (mutated version of the movie The Mummy). Please check out, read and review!

Worship my luffling hikari/yami-person, Sazza the Yaoi Pimp. Go read her fics and review them, her ff.net account name is YaoiPimp. Go! …after reading this chappie. ^_^

If 'e have any questions, feel free ta ask 'em! ^_^

Well, this was completely unexpected. O_o I mean _dude_! Just when ya post an unfinished (though rounded off chapter, I _had_ part of the next scene written already) chappie, your muse springs back ta life for a bit! This soon enough for ya? Enjoy!

Chapter Seven, Part Two:

Yugi glanced about nervously at his surroundings. Colored lights flashing, shadowy corners, costumed people gyrated en masse on the dance floor… Yami had brought him to a nightclub.

And was currently off to fetch refreshments, leaving the small teen by his lonesome at a secluded booth in the corner.

Sighing, the pseudo-Egyptian continued to watch the club's occupants dancing, appraising their costumes. It seemed that everyone had dressed up for Halloween, a fact that made Yugi feel less out-of-place. The teenager's surveying halted as his purple eyes met a pair of a paler shade. He knew those eyes.

Marik Ishtar smirked at his classmate, never ceasing in movement as he danced. The pale boy watched, entranced, hypnotized by the motion of the dark-skinned teen's body. There was no denying the fact that the blonde was _hot_, even if he preferred Yami. Maybe he just had a leather fetish, the 16-year-old thought, eyes drifting over the other boy's leather pants, light purple shirt and up to the crooked halo resting on his head.

Blinking, Yugi was startled from his daze as a taller man joined Marik on the floor, light-up horns sitting comically atop a mass of blonde hair that rivaled his own in spikyness. The two were remarkably similar, sharing darkly tanned skin, blonde hair and dusky purple eyes. 

Leaning back into the newcomer's grasp, Marik winked at his classmate. Blushing, Yugi looked down, and upon glancing up again found that the Egyptian and his companion had vanished into the crowd.

"What's a sweet little human like yourself doing alone in a place like this?" A sultry voice spoke suddenly.

Turning sharply towards the voice, Yugi found himself staring into a pair of vibrant green eyes, scant centimeters from his own. Yelping, the small teen shifted away from the stranger moving farther into the booth.

Back pressing against the wall, the violet-eyed teen swiped a stray braid out of his face, glaring slightly at the person who had startled him. The man possessed unnaturally green eyes and long black hair, dressed up as some form of royalty. Playing with a die that hung from one of his earlobes, the stranger once again pressed into his personal space.

"Mm… so bright," the emerald-eyed man moaned. "You'd make a veritable feast…"

Yugi stammered, trying to think up a response, all the while blushing furiously. Thankfully he was saved as a hand fisted in the stranger's black locks and yanked him backwards.

"Back off, incubus!" the familiar voice of Yami snarled.

"Ow, fuck!" the strange man yelled. "Lay off! I didn't know he was taken."

Releasing his fistful of hair, the darkling glared as the green-eyed male skulked off, muttering 'bitch'.

"You have to watch yourself around here," Yami spoke, setting two glasses on the table – though how he had kept a hold of both while dealing with a stranger was a mystery. "Many have untoward intentions…"

"You're the one who brought me here," Yugi pointed out accusingly.

The taller man ignored the statement, instead telling his companion to drink up.

Sighing, the lightly clad teen stared into his drink. It looked like ginger ale, and upon tasting the boy found that it was. The two sat in silence for a while, sipping their beverages and glancing about the club. Yugi was the first one to speak up.

"Why?"

Yami raised an eyebrow. "Why what?"

"You know… why did you save me?"

Sighing, the darkling leaned back from the table. "I'm not exactly sure. There was something about you… so bright, so innocent. I couldn't stand to see you become tainted, such brilliance is rare in a human soul."

A crimson eye swept over Yugi's body. "It's even rarer for someone to keep a large part of that innocence once they leave childhood."

The costumed teen's cheeks stained once again with red, and Yami chuckled at the boy's frequent blushing. Pouting childishly, the human returned to his drink, pondering his next question.

"Are you an angel?"

The darkling coughed, nearly choking on his drink. Now _that _was rather unexpected. "Not- not as such."

"Oh…" Yugi stared down into his ginger ale. "Are you a demon then?"

"No."

"…do demons and angels even exist?" the boy questioned, brow creasing with thought.

The leather-clad man smirked. "They do. Most of the occupants of this club are demons.

Yugi blinked. "Oh."

"You don't seem awfully concerned by that fact," Yami spoke. "Most humans get worked up when presented with the 'supernatural'."

The small teen merely shrugged. "So what are you then?"

The darkling sipped his drink. "There isn't really anything to describe what I am. I'm one of a kind. I suppose you could call me a fallen angel… I am generally known as the darkling."

Yugi tilted his head in curiosity. "Fallen? So you _were_ an angel? Then how did you get like you are?"

            "I wish I had answers for those questions, little one, but I'm afraid I do not," Yami stated. "I remember almost nothing from before I became what I was, and little more of the time shortly after my creation. Everything back then is fuzzy, I was more animalistic, more feral, taking centuries to regain proper thought."

            Pausing to sip his drink, the crimson-eyed man added, "Not to mention you get a bit hard of memory after a couple millennia of life."

            Violet eyes widened. "Millennia?! Wow… you're _old_!"

            "Thanks a lot," the darkling snorted.

            "Sorry," Yugi apologized. "But that _is_ old. I mean, I don't know how long angels live, but by human standards you're _ancient_."

            Yami chuckled. "I'm ancient by any standards. Demons and angels rarely live past 1000 years."

            "Huh… so then you actually are behind all these Sennen murders, eh?"

            "Yes," the leather-clad man answered bluntly. If the boy wasn't bothered that he had murdered his father, and that he wasn't human, why should this fact bother him?

            The violet-eyed teen simply nodded, braids bobbing and they fell into another silence, absorbed in their beverages. Occasionally they would glance at each other, lost to internal musings, reveling in the strange comfort they shared in one another's presence.

            "Hey, didn't you have wings?"

            "I'm surprised you remember."

            "Yeah well, when a winged guy with red eyes breaks through your window and kills your father, it isn't really something you forget," Yugi said, ignoring the fact that he _had_ forgotten the moment up until recently.

            Yami smirked. "Yes, I had – have – wings."

            "Can I see them?" the teenager asked.

            The darkling nodded, then took a hold of his slight companions hand, tugging him from the seat. Once again he led the boy, the two weaving through the gyrating bodies cluttering the dance floor, then away. They passed through a door, then up a flight of stairs, the sounds of music becoming muted as they drew away.

            A second door was pushed open and Yugi found himself on the flat roof of the club. Though the night was still warm, a slight wind swept across the area, raising goose bumps on the boy's arms and legs.

            Waving the human forward, Yami followed, the door clanging shut behind them. Ushering the boy closer to the edge, the darkling was treated to a rather nice view as a sudden gust of wind pushed up the cloth wrapped about the teenager's waist.

            The violet-eyed boy turned completely red and attempted to flatten his clothes, the crimson-eyed man learning that the human blushed on both cheeks.

            Smirking, he raised an eyebrow. "A thong?"

            "It seemed like a good idea at the time!" the teen cried.

            With a deep chuckle, the darkling stripped off his leather jacket, and began unbuckling the sleeveless leather shirt beneath. Letting it fall from his shoulders, the crimson-eyed man revealed lithe muscles, stretching powerfully beneath his tanned skin.

            Yugi's mouth went dry as the man that haunted his dreams bared his torso. If he died now, he would have died happy. Following the play of muscles, the human's eyes were drawn to a patch of darkness nestled between Yami's shoulder blades. It look like a tattoo, that of two dark wings. He was knocked from his daze as the discarded leather items were tossed towards him.

            Taking a deep breath, the darkling closed his eyes and concentrated. At first little seemed to happen, then slowly the feathers of the tattoo seemed to bristle, taking on form and texture. The wings grew, pushing out from his back, feathers elongating. Violet eyes stared in fascination at the bizarre yet beautiful transformation. The wings finally stopped expanding, settling at a length twice that of their bearer's height each.

            "Wow," the human teen gasped. He reached out a hand to caress one of the pure black feathers, mouth gaping in awe.

            "Like what you see?" Yami asked, a teasing undertone in his voice.

            Yugi nodded, stunned. Then his brow creased, and he added, "You _are_ talking about the wings, right?"

            The darkling merely smirked in response.

            "Can you fly?" the teenager questioned, deciding to ignore the man's teasing.

            "Not exactly," Yami answered. "Too long the angels remained sequestered in their little world, the pull of gravity not so strong as it is here. Their wings have grown small and weak. What I _can_ do is jump high and glide, the feeling is similar."

            Yugi chewed his bottom lip almost nervously. "Do you think that maybe you could- I could-"

            His stammering was broken off with a yelp, as the darkling scooped him up with inhuman speed and he found himself pressed against a muscular and very naked chest. He felt the man tense against him, his entire body coiling like a spring as his wings shot upwards. Then suddenly he was being launched _over _and _up_, past the edge of the building.

            Suppressing a squeal, the teenager clutched tightly to the bundle of clothes in his arms, pushing himself tighter against Yami's chest. His breathing calmed as the ascent slowed, the darkling's black wings spreading to capture the air, the warm arms wrapped around him giving a feeling of security.

            Daring to steal a glance, Yugi removed his face from its position against his savior's chest, peering down upon the world. They were quite high, and he saw Dartmouth stretching out beneath him, all the way to the bright lights of the waterfront, the darkness of the Harbor, and on to the glimmering city that was Halifax at night.

            It was quite breathtaking. As he watched though, they began to slowly descend, buildings drawing closer. Just as he thought they would land, Yami coiled up again, legs absorbing the shock of touchdown so well as to be nigh unfelt. Then they were off again, up into the dark sky.

            The pattern of rising and falling continued, and whether for hours or minutes, the teen couldn't say. The only thing that matter was the cool breeze caressing his bare skin, the scent of his darkling, and the protective warmth of the man's arms making him feel safer than he ever had.

            Finally halting atop a building, the fallen angel looked down at his passenger for the first time since departing the club. A soft smile, foreign to his face, formed as he saw that the boy had fallen asleep. Well, this was a bit of a dilemma. He hadn't the heart to wake the sleeping light, and hadn't the slightest idea where the child lived.

            Oh well, he'd just have to bring him to where _he _was living… and with that he crouched down and launched into the air once again.


	11. Side Story: Demon Play

**Hey my lovely little loyal readers who stay with me even through these stupid slumps! Well, it isn't the rest of the latest chapter... but it is something! My wonderful British luffling, Sazza has happily written me a side story! It is happy and you should all read and enjoy it. Review, give praise to Sazz, ask questions, anything goes!**

Title: Angel Corrupted Side Story – Demon Play

Author: Sazz/Yaoi Pimp (yaoipimp on ffnet!)

Note: Side story to Liona Skykat's "Angel Corrupted", all notes on Blood Demon's came from Lio XD As well as random ramblings...

Summary: An excuse to put the Makky's into assloads of leather? XD Naah, just a day in the life of Alpha Blood Demons... And Halloween...

Pairing: Yami Malik/Malik (aka Yarik and Marik)

* * *

Sunlight shone through the window, beaming down on the two figures that lay tangled in the blood-red sheets on the bed. One of the two demons slept, limbs wrapped possessively around his mate, while the other lay awake, staring at the ceiling, an arm lying across his forehead to block the beams of light. He lay partially in thought and partially in waiting, wide-awake, pale violet eyes studying the inconsistencies in the paint above.

Malik had been told yesterday of a challenger to his and his mate's alpha position, through word from one of the members of the group. The two demons in question were a dominant male and submissive female, both of whom were strong fighters. However, not nearly strong enough to be able challenge himself, let alone his mate.

It was a tradition of sorts for the two dominants of the pair to fight, sometimes the submissive partners fighting as well. He glanced over at Yalik, the other blood demon sleeping soundly after a rather hectic night, hair still managing to stick up in all directions without the aid of any styling products, his skin was a few tones darker, glowing a tarnished gold in the sunlight. He knew that if Yalik was awake right now he'd be muttering and growling about the sunlight... He much preferred the night.

A twinge in the back of his mind alerted Malik to the presence of more blood demons, instantly recognising them as his challengers. Well, no need to wake Yalik for this one. Having a cranky, sleep-deprived mate was not one of life's pleasures as far as he was concerned.

Malik gently untangled himself from his sleeping mate, swiftly climbing out of bed and into his trousers, pulling on Yalik's black vest top before he made his way downstairs for the confrontation. He passed out of the top floor where living quarters were and through the second floor, making his way through the alleys between large boxes and crates – a side effect of living in a warehouse, then down to the ground floor where a man and woman stood watching him, arms folded as their eyes darted behind him.

He calmly approached them, studying them both. The man's name was Derek, short, ruffled blond hair covered his head, and his eyes were a very vivid green as they watched him disdainfully. The woman, Annette, also had short hair and her near-golden eyes watched him with a little more wariness than those of her mate. Malik came to a stop several feet away and also folded his arms, raising an eyebrow as he waited for them to speak.

"I'm here to challenge Yalik," Derek stated calmly, looking at Malik briefly before his eyes turned back to the stairs to the next floor. "Where is he?"

"Sleeping, actually," Malik said with a bored sigh. "And I don't wish to wake him, he'll end up being moody and snappy all day, and that's not really any fun for me you understand?"

"Well that's none of my concern. I'm here to challenge him, so wake him up."

"What if I said 'no'?" Malik said, eyes narrowing slightly.

"I'd do it myself," Derek replied, eyes also narrowing.

"As it is, Derek, you're not fit to challenge my mate. You're not even fit to challenge me, although I will humour you if it will get this notion of being the Alpha out of your head..."

"It's tradition that the dominants fight each other. I don't fight _subs_." Derek hissed.

"Fuck tradition. You do now."

With that Malik launched himself at Derek, covering the distance between them in under a second, fist connecting with the other demon's face. The challenger soon replied in kind and the two demons fought viciously, yelling insults at each other as their attacks connected. Annette stood back and watched, the codes of fighting not allowing her to join her mate in attacking Malik, the fight only allowed to be decided one-on-one. Weapons were also banned, the opponents having to reply on their physical strength and abilities to defeat the other, as far as the blood demons were concerned, this was the best way to declare a leader.

The fight carried on for several minutes, the two demons leaping apart to catch their breath every now and then, the pair glaring each other down as they scanned over the other's injuries as well as their own. Both were bruised and sore in various places on their bodies and limbs, while having successfully managed to protect their faces. Derek shot forward again, fists flying as Malik dodged and countered, the pair trading punches, kicks and all manner of self-defence and retaliatory moves.

In a split second, Derek drove his fist towards Malik's stomach, the other demon's hands darting down to block the hit, leaving his face open. The green-eyed man launched his free fist at Malik's face, even as his other connected with the Alpha's block. Derek leapt away as Malik fell back, crashing into the ground for a moment before instinctually leaping to his feet, a trickle of blood making its way from his nose.

They both froze as the scent of blood filled the air, the entire warehouse seeming to fall silent. Malik's eyes widened as he took an almost delicate sniff, the scent of his blood filling his nose and the back of his mouth. His pupils dilated, lips pulling away as he bared his teeth, eyes focusing on the other demon with a fury-filled gaze.

Derek wasn't prepared as Malik launched himself at him, fists connecting much faster and harder than they had previously. Derek felt blood spill from his nose as it was crushed under angry fists even as he tried as hard as he could to block them, Malik now using his double punch attack against him as he fought.

He felt a bone in his arm snap as Malik twisted it in some way it shouldn't be twisted, teeth still bared as he resumed his attack on the rest of the green-eyed demon's body. In the background he could hear Annette calling to him, begging him to submit, if only for her sanity. His body continued to instinctively fight against the onslaught. The fight he had trained hard for and the _sub_ was winning against him.

A feeling of self-disgust welled up in him and he was about to redouble his efforts when the attack stopped suddenly. He focused his gaze on Malik and saw the struggling demon within the arms of Yalik, the larger demon staring indifferently down at him as he held his mate still, waiting patiently for him to calm.

A shudder of fear ran down Derek's spine. Many of the demons in their group didn't deal with Yalik on a regular basis, finding him too intimidating, preferring instead to speak to Malik and allow him to pass messages and news on. A slight twitch of Yalik's eye and a growl filled the air, green eyes flickering down to where Malik had buried his teeth in the flesh of his mate's arm, biting almost wildly in an attempt to be free, thick blood dribbling over the taller man's skin.

Yalik shook him off and cuffed him hard around the head, just enough to daze the smaller demon while he spoke.

"You were here to challenge me?"

Derek just swallowed and waited, common sense kicking in as he realised that Malik had probably been right.

Yalik said nothing, just cast a look over the beaten form of the other demon.

Swallowing hard, Derek looked over to his mate and promptly knelt down on the dusty floor, averting his eyes from the two Alphas and then tilting his head back and to the side in the recognised gesture of submission among their kind. Essentially it meant they were offering their lives, even though very rarely was anyone killed like this, only a repeat offender could expect death from such a move.

"Leave."

Yalik watched silently as Annette gathered her mate, allowing him to lean on her before leaving. Malik was still struggling somewhat, although his attempts were more bad-tempered, half-hearted pushes and hits rather than the ferocious hits and bites he had handed out earlier.

"Are you calm now?" Yalik asked when Malik finally fell still.

"I have blood in my mouth." Malik turned his gaze away from the doorway and faced his mate, his own blood and the taller man's mingling on his top lip and in his mouth. His speech was impaired somewhat by the blood-filled saliva that he refused to swallow.

Yalik raised an eyebrow, smirking before turning his mate around and pressing his lips against the smaller man's, mouth opening instantly. His tongue roamed Malik's mouth, searching out the traces of blood and pulling them into his own mouth before swallowing. He really didn't understand Malik's intense dislike for ingesting blood. Of course he also didn't understand his vegetarianism.

They stood like this for a while, Yalik cleaning his mate's mouth of blood and blood stained saliva, before he pulled away slightly, tongue darting over Malik's upper lip, tracing the trail of drying blood to the bottom of his nose. He pulled away and stared at Malik for a few moments. While he had certainly come out of the fight better, he was still pretty roughed up by the looks of it.

"This mean I can keep you from school today?"

Malik nodded and stretched, wincing slightly. "Yes, although I'm already late anyway."

"Good."

With that, Yalik led Malik upstairs to a bath and sleep.

* * *

The day was passed pleasurably enough, after washing Malik had finally fallen asleep, his mate once again wrapped around him, catching up on his own sleep that the fight had woken him from. Mid-afternoon, Yalik had woken up, waking Malik soon after, the smaller demon's wounds had pretty much healed, leaving the two to spend the afternoon how they wished.

As evening began to fall, Malik rested happily against his mate, naked bodies pressed against each other as Yalik's teeth nipped at the skin where his neck met his shoulder, drawing a few drops of blood. The smaller of the two sighed and closed his eyes happily until something occurred to him.

"Hey, it's Halloween today..."

"And?" came Yalik's disinterested reply.

"We're going out, and we're going to dress up..."

"Are we?" A slight hint of interest was evident in his voice now.

"Yes, I even got us all we'll need for our costumes," Malik said, detangling himself from Yalik and disappearing over to a set of drawers. The larger of the two watched with mild annoyance as his naked mate pulled out two seemingly random objects. He studied them for a few moments.

"Horns and a halo?"

"The halo is crooked and it's for me to wear, the horns..." Malik pushed a small switch and the horns began flashing red. "Are for you." He finished with a grin.

"No."

"Yes."

"I'm not wearing something so stupid," Yalik stated, yet more annoyed.

"Yes you can. Lighten up for once."

Yalik stared at his mate, Malik matching his gaze, before an idea occurred to him.

"Fine, I'll wear them on one condition."

"What's that?" Malik asked, a wary tone creeping into his voice.

"Where's that henna tattoo kit you own?"

The sub blinked. "Over here. Why?"

Yalik grinned.

* * *

Half an hour and a small fight later, a pouting Malik sat on the bed and watched Yalik change with a glare. On the left side of his chest above his nipple, the Japanese symbol for "Uke" sat in henna, a matching "Seme" sat on his mate's chest. The smaller of the two wasn't sure if the tattoo was worth the amusement he derived from the light up horns on his mate's head. While he was the submissive one in the relationship since Yalik had overpowered him when they mated, he hated being referred to as such, and the tattoo was just insult to injury.

"Stop pouting, you got what you want." Yalik said, shrugging on the chosen shirt.

Malik just glared.

Yalik shook his head and walked over to his mate.

"I said stop pouting. If it makes you feel any better, you're a very sexy..." Yalik placed a small kiss on Malik's lips. "Very ferocious uke...and possibly the most dominant submissive anyone has ever seen."

A small smile appeared on Malik's face. "You just want me happy so that you'll get laid tonight."

"There is that," Yalik replied with a grin. "Now get changed. Let's get this over and done with."

* * *

All Hallows Eve had fallen over Dartmouth, youths of all kinds were out on the streets of the city. The young ones going door to door in groups or with parents as they played the age old 'Trick or Treat', gathering candy or money from anyone and everyone, little witches, ghosts, vampires, goblins and all manner of creatures running about the popular neighbourhoods.

In other areas of the city, clubs had been filled up with the other half, the people who were now in their mid teens, their outfits a little more unconventional and risqué. Most of the Willowbrook high school students had gathered at the official school dance, or had taken their younger siblings trick or treating.

Most.

Malik had found his way to one of the clubs, the better music and lack of teenagers being a bigger draw then the popularity contest that was high school. Not to mention, the majority of the people in this club were also demons of varying sorts. Perfect for blood demons such as himself and his mate.

He had been left to his own devices on the dance floor, his mate having wandered off to get himself a drink at the bar. Not that it had totally ended their contact, Yalik's eyes hadn't left him, his stare following every sway of his hips, every spin and hair flick being recorded in the larger demon's memory. Malik smiled, feeling Yalik's burning gaze drifting over his backside.

Readjusting his crooked halo, he made a point of keeping his back to his mate for the other man's pleasure, focusing his attention on the music instead, the beat driven songs giving him a very good excuse to make plenty of unnecessary shakes of his ass. Glancing around at other people's costumes, of both the dancers and those sat around the edge of the room, he caught sight of a familiar short figure, the usually spiked hair in braids, not to mention the outfit. Seems the boy had more balls than he would have thought, it was almost indecent. He approved.

A moment later, large violet eyes met his, blinking in shock as he realized who he was staring at. Malik grinned at the other boy, not pausing a second in his movements. A pair of hands on his waist signalled that his leather clad mate had left his place at the bar and had decided it was time for him to return. He leant back into the other demon's embrace and winked at Yugi before turning his attention to Yalik.

He wrapped one arm around his mate's neck, suppressing a giggle at the light up horns that were currently in his mate's hair, the amusement they induced was back now that he was in a better mood. Letting his hips sway to the beat of whatever new song had come on, he pressed himself against his mate, feeling the warm body begin rocking against his in return. The material of his clothing moved over his already warm skin, sending small pleasurable shivers through his nerves.

With a grin, Malik raised himself up on his toes and playfully nipped his mate's bottom lip, not hard enough to split the skin, but just hard enough to deliver a small jolt of pain. He let out a laugh and tried to pull out of Yalik's embrace, a feral grin on the other demon's mouth as his hands slid down to his ass, instantly pulling him closer again. The taller man sighed through his nose as Malik's hips continued to move with the beat of the music, brushing and grinding against him.

Sharp teeth closed in on Malik's earlobe a few seconds later, short, sharp nips making their way down his neck, tongue following seconds later to clean up the drops of blood left in wake of his teeth. Yalik trailed his tongue back up and pulled away to look at his mate before grinning and darting in, licking the end of the smaller man's nose.

Laughing, Malik turned himself in Yalik's grasp so that his back was now pressing against his mate's chest. Grinding his hips, he pushed himself back into Yalik, gradually bending his legs as he slipped lower and lower. His grin became wider and wider as the back of his head slid over his mate's abdomen, hair brushing over the bared skin where his top had pulled away from the pants, the leather making small noises as Yalik's hips moved slightly to the music.

Reaching the bottom, he rubbed his cheek against the other man's crotch and slid back up before Yalik could do anything about it. Strong hands slid back around him to run over his stomach and hips, holding him against the toned body behind. Reaching behind, he wrapped one arm behind his mate's head, continuing to sway his body in time to the music, once again moving his backside against he same area his cheek has been.

Time passed as Malik continued to work out new ways to taunt his mate with his dancing, no single move breaking their physical contact. Fingers danced over the other's body, both blood demons taking time to trace the tattoo the other held on their chest, Malik pouted slightly at his tattoo, but Yalik once again brought him around with kisses and nips and light up horns.

"I think it's time for us to leave." Yalik's smooth voice spoke into his ear.

"It's still early, I don't want to leave yet." Malik pouted.

"Why, we could continue this fun somewhere else," Yalik attempted to move his mate forward with the force of his body.

Digging his heels into the floor, Malik refused to move, digging his nails into his mate's hands, which were one again placed on his abdomen.

"We can stay for a little longer. Stop acting so oooold." He slapped his mate's hands, the sound almost audible above the music.

A second later, one of Yalik's hands had slid between his legs, the other rose to turn his mate's face to him. Catching his mate's lips in a rough kiss, he effectively silenced any further protests as he steered the younger demon towards the door.

* * *

And thus they go home and boff! But ffnet is poopy and thus it isn't there


	12. Chapter 8, Completed

**Angel Corrupted**

**OMFG! Finally this chapter is finished (if only because I cut some scenes...)! Enjoy!**

Disclaimer: If YGO t'were mine I'd be happy and rich. As it is, I do not, and therefore am not-rich and only generally content. oo

A/N: Thar be stuffs! AU, possible OOC-ness (they did grow up differently, eh?), bloody stuffs, some swearing...shounen-ai! Yami/Yugi, slight Bakura/Ryou and Yarik(Yami Marik)/Marik. Will be using American names (mostly...), as that's the version I get!

Yugi's school does not exist in Dartmouth and proly N.S., though I'm quite sure another school of the same name exists somewhere else. Please excuse Joey's accent, it comes and goes in my writing...

Normally I'd answer reviews/thank reviewers here, but this time there's just so many and I can't figure out which ones were sent when that I'm totally confused and so no answerage this time around. Wagh. If you have any burning questions you put originally that need answering, feel free to ask again. Same with new questions.

* * *

Chapter Eight:

People are born many different ways. Some are born to avoid trouble, others are born to attract it, and others yet, are born to cause it. Marik prided himself on being one of those people. He had a knack for sniffing out potential cases for mischief, and sometimes it seemed as if the chance to cause grief fell right into his lap and he really just couldn't pass up such a tender offering. It may seem a little sadistic, but hey, he was a blood demon, it was natural.

So when he stumbled across the worried discussion of humans Joey Wheeler, Tristan Taylor and Tea Gardner, he really just couldn't resist.

The discussion started like so:

"Joey! Tristan!" Tea had yelled, sounding rather frantic. "Have you seen Yugi? He stayed with one of you overnight or something right? And just forgot to call home?"

"We were just gonna ask ya the same thing..." Joey had answered.

"What do you mean you were going to ask _me?!_" the brunette girl had shrieked. "He was supposed to be with you!"

"Yeah but... we kinda... lost him on the way to the dance..." the blonde-haired boy had told her, looking sheepish. "You sayin' he didn't come home?"

"Lost him? _Lost_ him?!" The little female really had quite the set of lungs. "No he did _not_ come home! Oh shit, oh shit, this _can't_ be happening..."

And then dear Tea had hurried off and left the two teenage boys to their own devices.

"How could we have lost 'im?" Joey had said. He was definitely worried. "I mean, how could we _not_ notice that he was gone? What if someone kidnapped him? What if some killer got him?!"

And _that_ was his cue.

"What are you guys talking about?" Marik broke in.

"Huh? Oh, hey Marik," Tristan said, looking slightly apprehensive.

"You were talking about little Yugi, right?" the lavender-eyed youth questioned. "I wouldn't worry about him too much. Seemed peachy last time I saw him."

"Wuh? What do you mean the last time you saw him?" Joey demanded. "What do you know?!"

"Geez, calm down," Marik said, adopting an irked expression. "I'm just saying he looked like he was having a great time at the club last night."

The looks on the humans' faces were priceless.

"C-club?" Joey stuttered.

"Oh yes, he was right at home at the Devil's Den in that little Egyptian get-up," the tanned demon winked. "I never saw the little guy as an exhibitionist."

The two teenagers were speechless, gaping at him in shock.

"But I wouldn't worry," Marik continued. "I'm sure he's safe and sound with that guy of his and is just sleeping off a hangover or something."

Mischief managed. Exit stage right. The Egyptian smirked and turned to leave... only to smack straight into a mass of pale skin and paler hair. For a moment all he could do was stare at a being that seemed oh-so-familiar to him.

"Bakura?!"

The white-haired boy blinked, adopting a wary air. "That's my last name..."

Marik took the time to examine the teenager more closely. An ice demon, no doubt, but no, he wasn't Bakura. He had different eyes, softer, and he smelled different.

"Sorry," he said. "I mistook you for someone else."

And then he was off, not altogether unaware of the suspicious glare the iceling was sending after him.

After the blood demon had disappeared from sight, Ryou turned to Tristan and Joey. "Oh, you might want to know that Yugi is safe and sound. He had... a bit of trouble last night and he's sleeping it off at my apartment right now."

"Trouble?" Tristan asked.

"Yes, some bully problems I guess," the ice demon answered. "By the way, who was that just now?"

"That was Marik," Joey stated. "The school's resident creep. Now tell me more about these 'bully problems'..."

* * *

Yugi was beautiful, of that there was no doubt in Yami's mind. He had been watching over the sleeping human since Bakura and Ryou had left on their separate businesses, and he had come to the conclusion that nothing was truer. The boy was simply that, beautiful.

And not just in form, no, the violet-eyed teen had a light about him that could just draw you in... He was so... innocent somehow, and yet in other ways, he was not. It was strange, almost as though there was another being resting within the boy, untouched by the darkness of the world.

"You're as an angel should be," Yami whispered, leaning down and inhaling the intoxicating scent that was Yugi. His eyes darted over the human's face, taking in the way his bangs rested against round cheeks, the smudge of kohl against pale cheeks, the blissful curve of his rosy lips...

The darkling frowned slightly, eyes coming to rest on the boy's forehead. There was something there. Softly, he reached out a hand and brushed the golden bangs away, revealing a light red stain in the shape of a kiss. A finger lightly touched the spot and found it strangely warm.

"Did I give you that?" he mumbled quietly. "I didn't mean to mark you, child."

He shifted his position on the edge of the bed and felt something cold brush his arm. Glancing down he stared at the Puzzle, still hanging from about the boy's neck.

"Ah yes, you," he spoke. "Long time, no see, huh?"

The Puzzle seemed to pulse with amusement.

"How've you been, this little mortal treating you well?"

Light glinted off the pyramid's golden surface, defying physics in its movements.

"Kisses every morning? He's been treating you _too_ well, you stupid piece of junk." A pulse of the Puzzle. "I am not _jealous_."

Yami wasn't sure how a puzzle could laugh, but laugh this one did. Glaring at the pyramid he waited for it to 'calm down'. He didn't know how it had happened, but after a millennia or so, the Puzzle had began to take on a personality of its own. But perhaps it only made sense, it was, after all a part of him, and he it.

The darkling continued his silent watch over the sleeping beauty, idly 'listening' to the Puzzle chatter. Idly that is until it brought up a certain occurrence.

"...What do you _mean_ he was attacked?" Yami hissed, turning his full attention to the gold object that hung from Yugi's neck. "Somebody _hit_ him? I don't care if you scared them off through him and healed it. They still _hit_ him."

And suddenly, he was pissed. Enraged almost to the point he had been the night he had destroyed Yugi's father. That anyone would touch this boy, _his_ boy, was unthinkable and unforgivable.

"I may not have meant to mark you, child," the darkling snarled, in a fit of possession. "But I did, and _nobody_ hurts what is mine. If I ever find out who hit you, I'll fucking kill them."

He bent over and whispered into Yugi's ear: "Do you hear that, boy? If anyone touches you without your permission, they'll wish they'd never been pushed screaming into this world."

He found himself staring at those lovely rosy lips once again, and he drew back as if burnt. Closing his eyes, Yami sighed. "Even if that person is me."

* * *

_The room was white. Yugi felt somehow that it wasn't supposed to be that way, that the walls were supposed to be covered with brightly coloured wallpaper with happy prints, but instead they were just white. Well actually, they weren't just white, there was the pictures, too. In fact, now that he looked properly the pictures almost completely obscured the walls, covering everything. The room was still white._

_As he watched a woman in a nurse's uniform came in took one of the pictures down off the wall and burned it. The boy glared at her and set to work drawing another picture._

_The boy looked up at Yugi with wide violet eyes. "I wish they'd stop burning my pictures."_

_He sat down by the boy and looked at his picture. It was a man with wings killing another man. Yugi smiled, "That's a pretty picture."_

_The woman came in again and burned another picture. The boy scowled, and stuck his newest picture to the wall._

_"Why don't you just tell them to stop?" asked Yugi._

_"I don't talk to them," the boy answered. "If I talked enough to make them stop burning, they'd just make me tell them more, and they don't want to hear what I have to say, so why bother?"_

_Yugi nodded sagely. It made perfect sense._

_"Well," he spoke. "At least once they burn all the pictures, you won't have anything to tell them, and then you can speak again."_

_The boy looked sad. "I know, but I really don't want to lose all of my pictures, you know? Especially of _Him._"_

_The boy had pointed to a particularly large picture. It took up the entire wall, though Yugi was _sure_ that there had only been many small pictures there before... Oh well, it didn't matter. The picture was the winged man with his glowing red eyes and leather clothing. It was a very beautiful picture._

_"It would be a shame to forget Him," Yugi agreed._

_For a while they sat there, staring at Him, while behind them the people burned more pictures._

_"Perhaps..." the boy spoke. "Perhaps I don't have to let them all burn. Perhaps I could hide them."_

_"Perhaps," Yugi answered. "But where would you hide them?"_

_"In a box of course." And with that the boy removed the pyramid that was hanging around his neck and opened it up. All the pictures turned into origami cranes and flew into the pyramid and the boy shut it again. He offered it to Yugi._

_"No thanks," Yugi said, patting his own pyramid necklace. "I've already got one."_

_"Oh." The boy put the pyramid in a box and addressed it to Yugi Mutou, October 29th, 2003. A little violet-eyed angel flew in the window and carried the pyramid off. The boy waved and yelled "Thankyou!"_

_"Yugi!" Someone shouted._

_Yugi, both child and teenager, turned and yelled back, "WHAT?!"_

Yami stared down at him, one eyebrow raised. "I didn't say anything."

"Huh?" Yugi blinked sleepily up into his companion's crimson eyes.

"You yelled 'what'," the darkling said. "I hadn't said anything."

"Oh..." the small teenager shook his head to clear it. "Sorry, I was having a dream. A really _weird_ dream..."

"Ah." Yami got up from his seat at the edge of the bed and walked around.

Wait a second, Yugi thought, he had just woken up and Yami was here, and... and this wasn't his bed. Or his room. He bolted upright. "What the h- Where am I?!"

A second thought ran through his head, when he saw what was obviously daylight pouring in the window. "Holy shit! I'm going to be late for school!"

Followed by a third: "MY PARENTS ARE GOING TO KILL ME!"

Yami chuckled. "Calm down. Ryou's at school making excuses for your absence. You don't even have to go at all today if you don't want to."

"Oh," said Yugi, calming slightly. "But... you know Ryou?"

"Of course," the darkling stated. "I'm staying with him and his mate, Bakura, in this apartment."

"...don't tell me Ryou is a demon."

"He most certainly is. How many people do you see that look his age and have white hair?"

The violet-eyed teen shook his head. "Next you'll be telling me random classmates like Marik are demons... Anyway, what am I doing here?"

"You fell asleep while we were flying," Yami told him. "I have no idea where you live."

"Couldn't you have asked Ryou?"

The darkling opened his mouth to respond, then closed it. He stared blankly at Yugi for a second. "He was... sleeping?"

The human teen smiled in response and shook his braided head. The smile soon faded replaced with a troubled look. "I really don't know what I'm going to do... I'm already on thin ice with my parents right now... and with this?"

Yami watched as the boy's head drooped and he covered his face with his hands, an ache developing in his chest at the sight of the boy's unhappiness. He had to do something about that.

"Hey," he said, slipping a hand under Yugi's chin and tilting it up. "What say you and I go out for a bit?"

The violet-eyed human looked torn. "But school... my parents...?"

"Lighten up, live a little. It's just one day." He could tell the boy was caving. "Do your really want to go home? Or to school?"

"...No."

The darkling held out his hand. "Then come with me. For one day just forget it all, and be with me."

The small, pale hand fit perfectly in his own.

* * *


End file.
